Orphan

Orphan

“I have a surprise for you, Mommy.”

I remember first seeing this trailer before another movie and thinking, “Um, no way am I gonna see that!” I have three adopted children and this movie just seemed to scream of political incorrectness. However, after seeing that same trailer at the same time, one of my 17 yr. old daughters (who just happens to be adopted) said, “Oooh, I wanna see that!” I looked at her like she was crazy…but, I do that a lot.

Fast forward a few months and we start seeing the movie advertised on tv. My horror film loving girl couldn’t wait for it to come out, but I still had reservations. As did many other adoptive parents. Evidently, the movie’s subject matter had caused quite a stir within the adoption community. People were writing letters, protesting and planning to boycott any theater where the movie was being shown. Adoptive parents were claiming the movie put adoption in a negative light and could potentially discourage people from adopting. I didn’t necessarily disagree.

But, my adopted daughter (labeled adopted only because it’s relevant to the movie) thought it was silly. “It’s just a movie,” she said.

I didn’t necessarily disagree. Like my daughter, I used to love horror flicks when I was younger. Okay, I’ll admit it…I still do. And I don’t think a single one of them has ever encouraged my thinking process (beyond more than a day or two) or discouraged me from doing something just because that something turned out badly on screen. I saw Jaws. I still swam in the ocean. I saw Friday the 13^th. I still went camping. I saw The Bad Seed. I still had children. I saw Cujo. I still…okay…I never got a St. Bernard, but that has more to do with their excessive drooling than Stephen King’s portrayal of the rabid beast.

It’s just a movie.

So, we went to see it. I found it hard to separate myself from thinking about the adoption issues and just let myself enjoy the movie, but even so I don’t think the movie made adopting a child look unfavorable. It did, however, make jumping into the adoption process quickly without getting to know a child and his/her background look unfavorable. But, is that a bad thing?

Adopting an older child is difficult. An older child will have issues. If this movie makes a prospective parent stop, research and educate themselves before they take that plunge, then I’d say that’s a positive thing. If, after their research they decide not to adopt…is that a bad thing? Perhaps, there would be fewer disrupted adoptions if adoptive parents really knew what they were getting into when adopting an older child. And, as my daughter said, ."Well, if that movie's gonna make someone not want to adopt, then they probably wouldn't be very good [adoptive] parents, anyway."

So true. But, honestly, the movie wasn’t good enough to offer the credibility necessary to turn a person who’s seriously considering adoption against the idea. It’s just too far-fetched, outrageous and not that well-acted. It’s The Hand that Rocks the Cradle meets The Good Son. I jumped a few times, but I didn’t walk out of the theater feeling at all frightened by what I’d seen.

Vera Farmiga and Peter Scarsgaard play the parents of two children (Jimmy Bennett and Aryana Engineer) who decide to adopt after their third child is stillborn. I never got the feeling that Kate (Farmiga) wanted to adopt. She began the adoption process to replace the child she’d lost…and, to me, that’s far scarier than adopting a child with issues.

It’s love at first sight when Kate and husband, John (John and Kate?! Are you kidding me?) meet Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman, who does an amazing job playing a mini-villain) at the orphanage open house. Seriously? They’re shopping for a new child? Whoever wrote this screenplay has obviously never gone through the adoption process. But, I digress…

John and Kate take Esther home and try to make this different little girl a part of their family. But, it doesn’t take long for them to realize the way she dresses isn’t the only thing that sets this little girl apart from most children her age. Esther’s angry, manipulative and drops the F-bomb without inhibition.

Kate starts researching the issues that could be plaguing little Esther. Personality disorders…attachment disorders….um, yeah, you’re adopting a 9 year old child…probably should’ve done that research already. Buuuuuut, it’s just a movie and I guess it couldn’t have flowed well without inexperienced and ignorant parents to help it along. So, kudos to them for being idiots.

Esther is the proverbial bad seed. She has issues…and a secret that isn’t revealed until the end of the movie. And, until then, John and Kate and their two other children are in danger, because Esther will stop at nothing to get what she wants. But, what exactly is it that Esther wants?

I won’t say more. You’ll have to see for yourself…or ask me privately for spoilers. But, let’s just say…this movie isn’t worthy of the adoption community’s hostility. It’s just a movie….and not a great one at that.

Bottom line: Neglect this Orphan…or at least wait ‘til it comes out on DVD.