TrTm316

Could have been, but okay-to-sometimes-quite-good acting couldn't save a well-intentioned but sloppy script. I enjoyed it, overall. It was funny more than a few times. But it was also very slow in places, with a lot of filler, the gaming sequence in particular. It should have been shortened from 90+ minutes to about 80.

Even in a movie intended to be campy, I want to see believable characters speaking and taking actions that are realistic within the context of the film. The four main women came across very credibly, the sheriff and (write/director Taylor King) deputy less so, and the G-men were just too stereotyped.

The pervasive use of the f-word doesn't bother me, but it seemed completely incongruous with the otherwise milquetoast content of the film, suited for and perhaps most enjoyed by ages 10 and up. For an indie film not expecting theatrical distribution it doesn't matter, but it just felt off.

King has been directing for a while, it will be interesting to see where he goes from here.

I assume the other review here was written as sarcasm. This film is worse than "Strasek, der Vampire." Almost all the camera work consists of too-long static shots, often with no person in view and nothing happening, failing even to set the mood. And 90 percent of the dialog is not in a conversational style; instead, the characters make lengthy, formal, poetic speeches at one another. Horrible pacing and a lack of emoting don't make a film "avant-garde", they just make it unwatchable.

My average rating of movies is about 6.0; I don't cry "1" or "'10" willy-nilly. And I've watched a lot of odd-ball, artsy, and truly avante-garde stuff over the years, and enjoyed most of them. Even if I don't like one, I'll often rate it highly if it's well done. This isn't one of those films.

This could have been superb, but films with fragmented nonlinear timelines require more care to tie the pieces together than we receive in Orphan. It's a drama depicting major traumas in one character's life, but in reverse time order, inside a wrapper that begins and ends in current times.

Portrayal of the progressively younger main character Renée/Sandra/Karine by Adèle Haenel, Adèle Exarchapoulos, and Solène Rigot were excellent as expected, and young Vega Cuzytek played the child version, Kiki, with skill far beyond her years. Technical aspects of the film were fine.

But completely lacking is anything that provides a causal link from Kiki's experience to her mindset and behavior as Karine. I interpreted Kiki's trauma as one of misadventure, and not one in which blame is due. Nothing in the film shows otherwise. And the drastic change in personality and behavior of her father is given unacceptably short shrift. The end of Karine's tale, her transition to Sandra, and the transition from Sandra to Renée also could have been depicted more explicitly, but the gist should suffice.

Other than that, once viewers understand that these women and girl are the same person, the film is accessible. And unlike some folks, I interpreted the final scene as redemptive, with Renée facing up to what is required of her while having hope and honest intent to return to her newest responsibility when she can.

It's worth watching!