Orphan: First Kill | review
The 2009 film was a sleeper hit and garnered much praise for Fuhrman, as well as a significant cult following since being released. Fuhrman returns as Leena (Esther) in this prequel, which shows how Esther became to be and the terrifying events that lead up to the 2009 story.
I thought for sure Fuhrman would be the true standout performance in First Kill, I was wrong. Julia Stiles, who portrays Tricia Albright, the mother of a missing girl who Esther pretends to be throughout the film. Stiles starts off like your average, innocent, motherly mother - much like Vera Farmiga's character in the 2009 hit. But... that turns out to be very much false as the movie goes.
Tricia Albright is not who she seems, at all. Towards the middle of the movie, Leena brutally stabs a detective who has figured out that Leena is not the real Esther, which Leena picks up on, of course. Leena follows the detective home and stabs him repeatedly.
All while, Tricia followed Leena to the detectives house and shoots the man repeatedly, viciously. Leena, stunned, pretends to be Esther, all the while Tricia knows Leena isn't her daughter, because her daughter died four years prior.
Tricia explains to Leena that her daughter died during an altercation with Tricia's son, Gunnar, four years prior and has kept it a secret from her husband this whole time. After the altercation with Gunnar, Tricia was forced to handle the situation her son created.
Tricia then tells Leena she'll make a deal with her. Tricia and Leena come to a deal that Leena can continue her act as Esther to keep the secret hidden from her husband. Of course... things to go to plan for Tricia and Gunnar, who are emotionally torturing Leena the whole time through the act.
In the end, Leena gets her one-ups on the Albright family and kills Gunnar, Tricia and Allen (Tricia's husband). The house burns down and Leena gets away. The end showed Leena at the adoption agency, which is the lead into for the 2009 original film.
I knew there was going to be some twists and turns throughout, but I honestly did not anticipate the Tricia character turning out that way. That story arc was really well done and not expected. Praise for that.
I also want to give particular praise to the performances of Isabelle Fuhrman and Julia Stiles, who both knocked it out of the park. I want to give praise for the atmospherics, setting, cinematography, writing and direction of the film.
The film performed above my true expectations and I was very entertained by the whole movie. There was some great campiness, while also having some cliche here and there, but that didn't take away from the entertainment factor of the film.
GIVE ME MORE ESTHER, Paramount.
