Narrative Movie Analysis

Movie: Orphan

Firstly, the genre of this film is possibly a thriller with many twists in it. In my opinion I think that there are many scenes where the lighting, type of shot and facial expressions really emphasise what the narrative at that moment; not only at a specific moment but as a whole film. An audience could understand what type of film it is. For example, the setting of this film is in a cold snowy place on a hill which could connote mystery and sad moments and disappointment, however many people use the snow to symbolise a happy time hence it causes twists and confusion in the movie.

This movie successfully uses a clear theory that Todorov described which consisted of three stages. First, the equilibrium, the state of harmony, second, the disequilibrium where harmony is disrupted and a chain of events leading to conflict and lastly, the new equilibrium where harmony is restored.

Specifically, the movie starts out to be very friendly and innocent. The parents visit an orphanage to take home a child and you can see real connection instantly between the mother and the orphan. The audience can see this through small gestures such as a smile, twinkle in the eyes and a sense of calmness by either holding hands or a hug. From this you can tell that there is clear harmony.

As the film proceeds, various events lead up to the main climax, the disequilibrium where there is a lot of conflict. Some examples by the orphan are threats to the other two kids, affection with the husband and the killing of the nun. This all leads up to investigation that this orphan isn’t normal and may have problems according to the mother however the father disagrees. These are the chain of events which lead up to the big twist which is that the orphan has a very rare disease that she is really a 39year old woman with anger problems but looks like an 8year old with no record of her past. Throughout these scenes, the lighting becomes darker overall, sinister music and long shots with close ups represents the frightened mood as the audience gathers the scenarios.

Lastly, a sense of resolution is restored with harmony. It all becomes quite violent and mysterious as the orphan has trapped the kids, mother is in mental hospital whilst the father is home getting threatened by the orphan to kill him. In the end the mother rushes back and gets the orphan taken away, kids saved and husband slightly injured. All this happens in a dark environment with just the sound of voices to create a centre of attention to it.

In conclusion, this film follows Todorov’s clear theory of the three stages. Also using Propp’s theory, you could classify each character in general terms. The orphan being the villain, mother possibly the donor or hero as she finds out the orphans history and sorts it out. The father could be the princess as he has to be saved. Overall narrative play an important part in the film’s success as a more detailed narrative with lots of twists will engage their target audience more.