# Orphans (1997)

### reviewed by
Vince Yim

    Vince's Views

    ORPHANS
    Running as part of the Vancouver International Film Festival
    Plays October 4th and October 6th
    Reviewed by Vince Yim

As the film opens up, we are shown an agonizing mise-en-scene in which three brothers and their sister pay their respects to their recently departed mother. This somber scene barely even sets the tone for what we are about to see: a wild romp through the night in the lives of Thomas, John, Michael, and Sheila Flynn, all of whom are separated after a scuffle in a bar. An impressive feature debut by Scottish director Peter Mullan (best known for a role in Trainspotting), Orphans tells the tale of each individual character as they try to make their way to their mother's funeral the next morning. Each character is given distinct personalities, goals, ambitions, and lives. Thomas (by Gary Lewis) is the strict catholic that refuses to leave his mother's side. John (by Stephen Cole) the younger brother, seeking vengeance against the one who wounded his brother Michael (by Douglas Henshall). Sheila (played by Rosemary Stevenson) is the disabled sister, who tires of Thomas' vigil and leaves, only to have her motorized wheelchair break down in the middle of nowhere. Michael is the `normal' one in the bunch, trying to reconcile with all the family members and bring them back together for the next day's funeral. While the premise lends itself to an unmarketable state (which led to its dropping by Film Four studios), each character goes through some very absurd moments, many breaking past the reaches of dark comedy. Before leaving in a huff, Sheila causes Thomas to break a statue of Mary, which he is frantically trying to piece together (his efforts are eventually rendered moot). On one of his vengeance seeking tirades, John's friend finds out the hard way why he shouldn't bother a man while he masturbates (and you thought that the `hair gel' scene in There's Something About Mary was bad). And then there's the scene where Michael finds himself in the worst bar in Glasgow. Scenes like these effectively break up the somber narrative, although a Tarantino weaned audience would with to see more of the dark and comedic stuff. Still, the solid characterization more than makes up for what audiences otherwise expect. With vivid clarity, this is an amazing portrayal of a family in obvious turmoil. Michael is slowly bleeding to death. John is about to make the biggest mistake of his life. Thomas doesn't even care and just wishes to watch over his mother's body. And the three of them have no idea where their sister is. The film also deals with some heavy religious allegory. As well as representing various biblical figure (Thomas, as the faith-shaken apostle; John, possibly the apostle that slices a guard's ear off prior to Jesus Christ's arrest; Michael as an angel of sorts), there are interesting metaphors. One such involves vengeance seeking bar patrons chasing the evil bartender through the streets, with one of them dropping a large stone as soon as Michael sees this (I'll let you figure that one out). Things like these only enhance the storytelling. With some of the most solid acting that you'll see in a while and a well written storyline, Orphans is easily one of the best films I've seen in a long time. While some may lose patience with the buildup, the payoff is ultimately worth it.

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