Mubi Monday: Orphan (2016)

Not to be confused with the “killer kid” movie from some years previously, Orphan is a drama about the female experience, represented by a number of very talented actresses playing the same character at four different points in her life. Although that could seem tricky, and arguably unnecessary, viewers can take or leave the central conceit as they wish. What really matters is the time spent exploring facets of the female experience.

Director Arnaud des Pallières, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Christelle Berthevas, makes use of connective tissue to show moments in a life shaped by the actions of men, various types of oppression (whether physical, financial, or the pressure on women to have a child), and one or two bad decisions. Shown in a non-chronological way, viewers are drawn to the characters thanks to the excellent cast and the idea that we’re watching someone on sliding on an inexorably downhill trajectory.

There isn’t much point in giving a full summary here. It’s enough to say that one little girl grows into a young woman in a difficult situation, who subsequently grows into a young woman exuding an air of confidence that gives the impression of her being more in control, and some time later lives her life as a woman striving to maintain a content and normal life. The central character is portrayed, at her different ages, by Vega Cuzytek, Solène Rigot, Adèle Exarchopoulos, and Adèle Haenel.

As well as everyone just mentioned, and both Exarchopoulos and Haenel are usually enough to get me to watch anything (particularly the former, one of the best actresses of the last decade, and STILL not being given the recognition she deserves), there are performances here from Gemma Arterton, Jalil Lespert, and  Robert Hunger-Bühler. Each person onscreen, including the many not mentioned here, feels important for their impact on the central character, and the acting is as excellent across the board as it needs to be, and as you would expect from most of these names.

Moving between moments of calm and moments of freneticism, and often showing sex and submission in place of real care and love, as well as how those things can get mixed up and melted together in one big puddle of gooey emotions, Orphan may not cover any new ground, but it retreads a well-worn path with the aim of underlining the many small hurts and wounds that add up to damage that reverberates through an entire lifetime. The script and direction are both top notch, but it’s the acting that really makes this so rewarding.

8/10

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