THE ORPHANAGE ("El Orfanato" Spain)

"The Orphanage," directed by Juan Antonio Bayona, is a hauntingly beautiful film, shot in muted tones of browns, greys, blues, and golds, with occasional flashes of red, by cinematographer Óscar Faura, and written by Sergio G. Sanchez. In the US it is billed as a "horror" film. If you go thinking you'll see another "Saw" or a film of the "Halloween" genre, you'll be terribly disappointed. "Orphanage" deals with the paranormal. Spooky events are founded on reality so that when they occur they are all the more shocking to the audience: on a busy street, a woman sees an older woman, who she believes knows something about her missing son. The older woman gets hit by a car. The woman goes to her aid. An everyday occurrence, really, but in the film, the event will have you jumping out of your seat, it's that frightening. You ask yourself, did I really see what I saw? or was it the character's imagination?

As the film opens,Laura, as a young girl (Mirela Renau), who lives in an orphanage housed in a multi storied, Gothic building set in the countryside, is playing a hide and seek game of "One, two, three, knock on the wall," on the orphanage grounds. In the foreground, showers of golden tufts as from dogwood trees swirl magically against a dark landscape. Two women at a window overlooking the scene talk about Laura's imminent adoption. Laura will be happy, yet sad because she will miss her friends.

A couple of decades pass, the orphanage has been shut down for years. Laura (now played by Belén Rueda) has married Carlos (a rather cold, unemotional Fernando Cayo), a psychiatrist. Unable to have children, they have adopted a boy, Simon (adorable, cherubic Roger Princip), who is now about five or six. The couple buy the building to renovate it and start their own orphanage not only to help orphaned or abandoned children but to give Simon playmates, as Laura once had. It seems Laura has only fond, happy memories of her life there. Simon, in the absence of siblings, invents imaginary friends, not unusual for some prepubescent children especially for the only child. Laura worries because Simon's friends seem a little too real to him. Also, he often wakes screaming in the night. The couple takes turns comforting him. Tall, willowy, dark blond Belén Rueda has the face of a tragedian, a beautiful tragedian, like the young Vanessa Redgrave. In her rôle as Laura, her concern for Simon is at times wordless, yet seen in her eyes, expressions, and body language.

She is alone in the building each day her husband drives into town for his practice. Simon's insistence that he must do what his "friends" ask of him becomes too much for Laura, yet she dutifully goes along to a cave on the seashore near their property, following Simon as he in turn follows his friend's clues of dropped shells and stones. At times, he becomes intractable and demanding in his insistence that Laura believe his friends are real, causing his mother to suffer a couple of disabling injuries.

A turning point comes when a strange, severely dressed older woman from the adoption agency shows up bearing Simon's medical file she claims was never turned over to Laura with the adoption papers. Later, reading the file, Laura discovers that Simon was born HIV positive. Their attempts to find the birth mother turn fruitless; the women bearing the file was an impostor and later dies in an accident. She and Carlos feel they must give in to Simon's behaviour; they don't know how long he'll be with them. This news shatters Laura and prompts her to complete the renovation of the building and start the orphanage.

Once most of the work is completed, they invite officials and facilitators of organizations for orphaned children and their wards to a picnic on the grounds and a walk-through to encourage them to invest in and recruit children for their orphanage. As part of the festivities and to lend a fanciful (albeit creepy) air to the event, everyone wears a mask, even the adults. During this event, Simon's demands become intolerable. He plays hide and seek with Laura; she goes along. The boy shows up unexpectedly, startling her. He disappears again. She is relieved, but angry at his deception. Then, a tiny, mute child wearing a grotesque cloth mask materializes. The child taunts her, then runs away. Thinking it could be Simon, she tries to find the child and searches everywhere, including a storage room under the stairs. In her agitation, she knocks over construction materials and tools. Carlos and the guests grow alarmed at her hysteria as she runs around ripping masks off children and asking about Simon. Towards the end of the film, Simon's actions and demeanor appear to grow demonic.

What follows next will have you gripping the arms of your seat. Simon never shows up. The couple consult a team of psychics led by Aurora, an austere woman played by Geraldine Chaplin (granddaughter of Charlie and Oona O'Neil). They set up shop with electronic sensors and cameras One camera focuses on Aurora, who trances out in a chair in the center of a dark room, saying the unfortunately obligatory "I feel so coooooold," while hugging herself. Impatient, Carlos sends them packing, declaring them phonies out for money. For a short time, Laura and Carlos, his face registering contempt, join a support group for missing and abducted children. Laura's obsession over Simon reaches a point where Carlos feels he has to stay in town for a few days. Laura continues her search, believing now that not only is Simon sending her clues, but also his imaginary friends as well. The clues lead her not to Simon but to an outbuilding where she discovers grisly evidence of an unthinkable crime, which she reports to the police. She ends up restoring the dormitory of the old orphanage to the way it had been and playing the games she had played as a child, believing the souls of her former playmates will lead her to Simon.

"The Orphanage" is also billed as this year's "Pan's Labyrinth." Though one of its producers was Guillermo del Toro, who directed "Labyrinth," "The Orphanage" is its own film. It will leave you awestruck with wonder. It should not be missed.