Orphan

As with his two previous features, 'intense' is a word you could use to describe Laszlo Nemes' third film "Orphan." And, as with its predecessors, it isn't the most pleasant of viewings, as he himself would admit. A semi-autobiographical piece on his family, this has a similar focus on its lead, though here Nemes chooses to expand the world beyond them alone.

Andor (Bojtorjan Barabas) is a twelve-year-old boy in 1957 Budapest, living with his mother Klara (Andrea Waskovics), believing his father may still be alive despite having been 'taken to the camps.' But in a time of constant uncertainty, he notices his mother meeting with a strange figure on a motorcycle.

The figure turns out to be Berend (Gregory Gadebois), a butcher from the countryside who hid his Jewish mother during the Second World War. But paying him for protection, it seems Berend took more from Klara than just protection money. A fact Andor struggles to come to terms with.

"Son of Saul" and "Sunset" both had the camera essentially trail the lead actors, painting an intense portrait of an individual's struggle and journey. This has a similar, intense focus on one character, but here Nemes opens up the world a little more, allowing other characters more of a voice and for more perspectives. Though Matyas Erdely's camera does, at times, blur the background to still allow for Nemes' and his intense shooting style.

With his films having such singular focus previously, it allows for more clunky storytelling. Opening the focus here means "Orphan" needs to be more plot-driven than character-driven, and at times the storytelling feels a little awkward. However, enough intrigue is created to make you want to learn more and keep you engaged.

There is an allowance for some very good and intriguing shots, making the most of focus, but also Budapest's 'cinematic history' (neglect over the years). Nemes' style does mean that his works are very good visually; "Son of Saul" deservedly winning an Oscar for this approach to a difficult subject matter.

There is a feeling, however, that Nemes is a little constrained by this early success, torn between recreating and moving away from it. As such, "Sunset" and "Orphan" could be stronger films in their own right, feeling more attempts at recreating a winning formular than having their own flavour. Hopefully, Nemes will find a way to allow each film its own identity, as for now, this orphan certainly has an older brother.

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Orphan is a hauntingly beautiful film that captures the reverberations of history through the eyes of youth. Cinematographer Mátyás Erdély and director Nemes use luscious, sepia-toned visuals to sculpt Budapest in 1957 as a place where memories-and unspoken truths-loom large. The performance by newcomer Bojtorján Barabás as Andor is quietly powerful; though burdened by loss, there is something deeply human in his gradual journey toward understanding. Grégory Gadebois in the role of Berend gives a brooding, complex portrayal that complements the emotional weight carried by the boy and his mother (Andrea Waskovics). Orphan succeeds in turning personal trauma into something universal-resonant, lyrical, and never facile. A film that lingers in the mind long after its final image.

The best boy-talking-to-a-radiator film since Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.

Out of all my choices for TIFF, this film seemed to lack buzz. It was a pleasant discovery.

Every shot looked like a Hopper or Rembrandt. I'd recommend it for the visual storytelling.

It was a personal project for the director Nemes, who was telling the story of his father's youth. While the story was a bit dry, there's enough to recommend here.

It's style over substance but what incredible style.

Orphan (Árva) is a quite slow, but beautifully-shot film.

The characters are well-written and layered, but in Hungarian movies I miss normality. All the characters have big flaws. When they introduced Berend I thought he would be this extremely abusive guy, but I was surprised to see that he isn't that bad. He is, but not as much as I initially thought. He wants to make himself happy, but he doesn't care about others. Klára has Stockholm syndrome, basically. The actor guy could be the good guy, but he makes weird decisions too. It's a great character study. Andor and Sári are likeable characters, which makes it enjoyable to watch.

The other thing that was constantly making this enjoyable is the cinematography. This was probably enhanced by the 35mm projection. Many scenes could be straight from a Robert Eggers / Jarin Blaschke movie. I guess they were inspired by the same director / cinematographer, but I don't know who. The editing is the reason I don't love this movie. It becomes quite uninteresting in the middle. I think they should've cut it down more. The production design is wonderful and the visual effects are quite seamless, although I think I knew when they used them. The score is great, I love how it reflected Andor's feelings. The acting performances are good, especially the young lead's who had to carry this film at a very young age. Although I have to note that sometimes I didn't understand what they said.

Orphan (Árva) has Oscar nomination worthy cinematography, but overall it isn't as good as I wanted it to be.