The Orphanage/El Orfanato (2007) - Bayona arrives with memorable, haunting horror

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Star Belén Rueda stands in a dark corridor among what appears to be ghost children on this poster for J.A. Bayona's The Orphanage

A married couple with an adopted son want to reopen an old orphanage, which the woman Laura once lived in, but when their son Simón disappears, the place transforms from a place of promise into a sinful nightmare.

 

The Orphanage is written by Sergio G. Sánchez (7337 (2000, short)) and directed by great Spanish filmmaker, debuting J.A. Bayona (A Monster Calls (2016)). The title is a literal translation of the original Spanish title.

SPOILER The house is haunted with masked children in The Orphanage, and there are shocks and a frightening medium scene, in which sound design is used to strike violently upon the gasping viewer. But the film's real brilliance may be the way it so finely balances warmly inviting the audience back to the innocent magic of childhood, - and gruesome, very adult offenses on the contrasting side.

SPOILER The ending is tragic, - but not devastating, - bringing to my mind H.C. Andersen's The Story of a Mother (1847). It perfectly fulfills this fairytale-reminiscent nightmare. Executive producer Guillermo Del Toro's preceding, more widely seen and hailed Pan's Labyrinth (2006) pales in comparison to The Orphanage, I find.

 

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The Impossible/Lo Imposible (2012) - The 2004 tsunami depicted in one of the strongest disaster films ever  

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 4 mil. $

Box office: 78.6 mil. $

= Mega-hit (returned 19.65 times its cost)

[The Orphanage premiered 20 May (Cannes Film Festival, Golden Camera section) and runs 97 minutes. The first draft was written in 1996. Sánchez gave Bayona his script in 2004. With Del Toro's support, the financing came together with 14 production companies and support bodies collaborating. Shooting took place from May - July 2006 in Spain. The film opened #27 to a 233k $ first weekend in 19 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #16 and in 707 theaters, grossing 7.1 mil. $ (9 % of the total gross). North America was the film's 3rd biggest market. Its biggest and 2nd biggest were Spain with 37.7 mil. $ (48 %), - here it was the biggest opening of the year with an 8.3 mil. $ four-day launch, - and Mexico with 11.6 mil. $ (14.8 %). The film was nominated for 5 European Film awards and won 7/14 Goya awards, among many other honors. Roger Ebert gave the film a 3.5/4 star review, equal in rating to this one. A much talked about US remake never came to fruition. Bayona returned with La Desgracia en 3D (2008, short), Nena Daconte: El Aleph (2009, music video) and theatrically with The Impossible/Lo Imposible (2012). Belén Rueda (The Sea Inside/Mar Adentro (2004)) returned in 8 Citas (2008). The Orphanage is certified fresh at 87 % with a 7.40/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Orphanage?

The Sea Inside/Mar Adentro (2004) or, Death Wish: Spain

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Javier Bardem looks pensive against a sea surface on this poster for Alejandro Amenábar's The Sea Inside

Following an unfortunate diving accident as a young man, our protagonist is left quadriplegic for 28 years with a wish to die. - But is that for him to decide?

The Sea Inside is written by Mateo Gil (The Laws of Thermodynamics/Las Leyes de la Termodinámica (2018)) and its great Chilean co-writer/co-producer/director/composer/editor Alejandro Amenábar (The Others (2001)). The two tackle a difficult story here, which is the true story of Ramón Sampedro, one which presents the ethical dilemma of euthanasia.
The bedridden state of our hero is cinematically overcome with a handsome, recurring dream of floating. Javier Bardem (Live Flesh/Carne Trémula (1997)) acts well, - but at some point his character becomes too much for me to take, and the film's idolization of him as a determined, Oscar-worthy paralyzed role becomes too one-sided. It starts getting unclear why he is afforded such enormous care and attention, when his only wish, expressed loudly and often, is to die.
Atheistic, warm advocates of euthanasia may respond with deeper feeling to The Sea Inside than I did.

 

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2004 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Watch a trailer for the film with English subtitles here

Cost: 10 mil. €, equaling approximately 11.38 mil. $
Box office: 38.5 mil. $
= Box office success (returned 3.38 times its cost)
[The Sea Inside premiered 2 September (Madrid, Spain) and runs 125 minutes. Sampedro's story was also the subject of Condenado a Vivir (2001, TV movie). Shooting took place in Spain, including Madrid, from October - December 2003. The film opened #39 to a 55k $ first weekend in 23 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #29 and in 99 cinemas and grossed 2.1 mil. $ (5.5 % of the total gross). The film's biggest markets were its main production country Spain, where it was a massive hit with a 26.1 mil. $ gross (67.8 %), Germany with 2.1 mil. $ (5.5 %), a bit bigger than its 3rd biggest, North America. The film was nominated for 2 Oscars, winning for Best Foreign Film, and losing Best Makeup to Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. It won 1/2 Golden Globe nominations, was nominated for a César award, won a David di Donatello award, 2/5 European Film award nominations, an Independent Spirit award, 14/15 Goya award nominations, 2 National Board of Review awards, 3 awards at Venice Film Festival and several other honors. Roger Ebert gave the film a 3/4 star review, translating to a notch better than this one. Amenábar returned with Agora (2009). Bardem returned in Goya's Ghosts (2006). The Sea Inside is certified fresh at 84 % with a 7.59/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Sea Inside?

Julia's Eyes/Los Ojos de Julia (2010) - Decent Spanish horror with good craftsmanship, little else

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One of the eerie posters for Guillem Morales' Julia's Eyes

Julia's sister is found hanged, possibly by her own hand because she had gone blind. But Julia is not convinced of the theory, and who is the man her sister had started going with? A fatally dangerous mystery is unraveled...

Julia's Eyes is the second feature by Guillem Morales (The Uninvited Guest/El Habitante Incierto (2004)), written by Morales and Oriol Paulo (The Body/El Cuerpo (2012)). It has capable visuals and acting and a story with drive, a twist and a couple of good chills; SPOILER as when Julia plays blind at the killer's house but can really see everything!
But Julia's Eyes is also quite superficial; it never reaches any thematic depths or presents anything substantially new or truly terrifying. Mostly it can be admired for its good craftsmanship.

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: Unknown
Box office: Seemingly at least in excess of 14.8 mil. $
= Unknown (likely a box office success)
[Julia's Eyes premiered September 11 (Toronto International Film Festival) and runs 117 minutes. It was shot from October - December 2009 in and around Barcelona, Spain. The above-mentioned B.O. number comes from adding the publicized grossed for Spain (9.3 mil. $), Mexico, South Korea and Italy, but the film has been released in many other countries as well, so the gross is likely higher. Tentatively setting its budget at around 5 mil. $, the film looks like a box office success. Julia's Eyes is fresh at 91 % with a 6.6 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Julia's Eyes?