Thriller Analysis: Orphan

ORPHAN

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Characters: Kate - Mum (Vera Farminga)

                     John - Dad (Peter Sarsgaard)

                     Esther - The Orphan/ Adopted daughter (Isabelle Fuhrman)

                     Daniel - Son (Jimmy Bennett)

                     Max - Daughter (Aryana Engineer)

Story: The film is about a woman, Kate, who had a still birth and dealt with her grief through drinking alcohol. Kate and her husband, John, decide to adopt a child. They choose Esther to join their family, however, she is not what she seems. Esther is actually a 30 year old woman, who has a disorder that makes her look like a child. She moves from family to family, trying to seduce the fathers. When she cannot, she kills the fathers and their families out of revenge.

Camera Shots: Throughout the film, the director uses certain camera shots and close ups to reveal to the audience that Esther isn't as innocent as she seems. In this video, the audience is shown that Esther's paintings are actually quite sinister and eerie. Also, the lighting used in this scene helps to show Esther's "dark" side.

This is an example of  a sinister looking
close up of Esther.

This shot also makes Esther look evil.

This still is taken from the Storm scene. There is slight low angle on Esther, which makes her appear very powerful. It also makes the sleeping Max look very innocent and vulnerable. The director also used lighting again to add a creepy feel to the thriller. At first, it looks like nobody is in the room with Max, however, the flashes of lightning reveal that Esther is actually standing over her.

Music/Sound: Non-diegetic music has been added in to the background of some scenes to increase the tension and to make the film more frightening. However, in the beginning, calming music is used in the background to give off a homely and loving atmosphere. An example of this is the music used in this clip:

Opening Scene: 

• In the opening, the audience is shown the distributor and producer, Warners Brothers and Dark Castle Entertainment.
• The title is also shown in an eerie looking font, which shows what the film is going to be like.
• It does not follow the all of the typical conventions of film openings, as we are not shown the setting straight away. However, we are introduced to the main character Kate and her husband, John.
• The scene is a dream sequence, and this is obvious because bright white lights are used throughout. 
• The audience is also told about Kate's history and the story of her still birth.