Orphan: In search of the perfect family

What defines an excellent thriller film? They are usually known to be about sudden jerky camera movements, splashing of gory faces on the screen and explosive use of sound effects. Most thriller films seem to follow these patterns and usually fail miserably at evoking any kind of fear or any other emotion out of their audience. But the 2009 film Orphan which was directed by Jaume Collet-Serra is a thriller with a difference.

As a couple grieves the birth of a still born daughter for their third child, they decide to overcome the process of mourning by adopting a girl from an orphanage. The girl, Esther, appears to be an innocent child with a few inexplicable habits but all the while the couple tries to love her as they would their own daughter. Esther gets along perfectly well with the couples’ youngest, a deaf and mute girl who considers Esther her elder sister and follows her around everywhere; on the other hand, the son is reluctant to accept Esther as part of the family. Her unorthodox habits and rejection at home cuts Esther off from most of the family and her classmates. Slowly certain unforeseen circumstances occur with Esther being a prime figure linking up the unfortunate events. By digging up Esther’s past and joining the dots, the mother realises her family is in grave danger which she must rectify.

A dark and mysterious character throughout the film, Esther has qualities that make it overwhelming to figure out her true identity. The portrayal of the character leaves a cunning air of indecision yet confidence about her which sends a shiver down the viewers back. Not always in a good light, she provides the thrill in the film which is built on a wonderful, expressive and well thought out story.

Pain is the most important part of the film. Whether it is in the rejection from a husband, the breaking of an arm of a timid girl or the crushing to death of an innocent bird, the viewer can partake in the pain of what is portrayed on the screen. The feeling of pain also provides the thrill factor in the film which the audience can relate to. The film is made such that anyone can put themselves in the shoes of the character and imagine being in similar circumstances.

The film has a particular dark essence to it which adds to the feeling of horror it maintains. There is a feeling of unrest throughout the film which is maintained because of the gradual character development as the story goes on. The dark tone of the film also coincides with the personality of the protagonist, which is mysterious and unresolved.

From the very first frame itself the film carries a promise of being an exciting, blood pumping and pulse accelerating thriller which is able to captivate its audience to levels that thriller films in the past have failed to achieve.

Laura: A murder mystery for the ages

One of the great styles in cinema which is enjoyable and meaningful is the film noir. Even if a person is not a fan of crime, thriller and mystery, it is very easy to appreciate film noir because of its style and execution. A classic in film noir is the 1944 film Laura which was directed by Otto Preminger.

When a young and attractive socialite is found dead, Detective Lieutenant Mark McPherson steps up to solve the case. He meets her close friend, Waldo Lydecker, who is a famous writer/ journalist. In interviewing Lydecker he finds out about her on-the-rocks engagement to Shelby Carpenter, a man who she nurtured both professionally and personally. McPherson is also introduced to Ann Treadwell, a friend of Laura who is secretly in love with Carpenter. From the descriptions he receives, McPherson decides that Laura was an attractive and much loved woman. Slowly and steadily, over the weekend that McPherson investigates the murder, he falls in love with Laura and makes it his mission to figure out who the killer is, to the extent that he spends hours in her home where she was killed. Just as McPherson seems to unlock a few clues, an unexpected occurrence causes him to rethink his findings in the case and spins him around on his heels.

Laura is considered a classic of film noir. It employs quite a few elements which are considered to be indispensible to film noir, including a narration by a character, use of thematic background score which helps create a tension in the scene, use of toned lighting and shadows, characters smoking cigarettes and the general theme of being a film about crime; in this particular case, the crime is murder. It manages to create an air of hopelessness and suffocation which seem to be the conditions of the characters in the film, and it manages to superimpose these same emotions on its audience. It maintains its suspense through the plot and the mystery of the killer is only revealed in the finale of the film.

Laura is considered a classic and rightly so. Its relevance in this day and age may leave it at just above average, but it has a class of its own which cannot be ignored and underrated under any circumstances.

Red White & Blue: One fact to destroy three lives

Sometimes there are simple occurrences which can shape entire destinies. It is hard to believe that the introduction of a single fact into one’s life can cause a spiral into an unforeseen direction, like a butterfly effect which cannot be predicted. Red White & Blue, the 2010 film directed by Simon Rumley, documents this sort of change of a single fact to unleash an untoward story which creates a ripple effect to drastically change the lives of the characters who are involved.

Erica is a slacker who is willing to jump into bed with any man that will have her. Unfortunate instances in her past have left her scarred and numb as she goes through life with no focus apart from having sex with a man only once, never falling in love and staying away from friendships. In this mix, she gets into bed with Franki, a wannabe rock star who is facing emotional turmoil as he helps his mother recover from her cancer while also trying to reconcile with his ex-girlfriend. Erica is forced into getting a job when her landlady demands rent but finds a friend and confidant in Nate, an ex-army veteran from the Iraq war, who has recently moved into the building. As Erica begins to learn how to trust with Nate at her side, Franki steps back into her life with some disturbing news which will adversely affect Erica, Franki and Nate.

The film tends to move slowly but unleashes a long, arduous story along the way. Beginning as a drama and then slowly moving into a thriller with instances of gore as the plot spins on its heels, the film has a unique treatment of its own. The drama is underplayed and many-a-times subtle clues in the story can be missed. It is crafted in a way that every shot of the film can convey a point which is important to the story. However, the film begins as slacker-based drama which has the potential to become a classic before it completely changes into a revenge plot which can be a little hard to follow and digest.

The style of the film borders between amateur and independent which is evident with the minimalistic makeup, bare use of background scoring and ambient sound recordings in certain outdoor scenes. There are plenty of points to be made in this film, and with a different execution it might have made those points more clearly.