Perhaps one of the narrative resources that has the most impact on the viewer and that makes a feature film last in their memory is the dramatic turns of the third act. Last-minute surprises that completely change the perspective on the story and that have raised titles such as ‘Psychosis’, ‘The Fog’, ‘Oldboy’ or ‘The Sixth Sense’, to name some of the most famous examples.
But the fame of these plot twists last minute should not overshadow the effect of a good mid point. A twist located, as its name suggests, in the middle of the story that, if well executed, completely changes a movie; transforming it into a new one and making a second act that can easily fall into the anodyne more bearable.
If in ‘La huérfana’ by Jaume Collet-Serra the twist of the third act became its main blow, it is precisely the mid point the one who turns this subtitled prequel ‘First murder’ in a wildly enjoyable rave; transforming Esther’s origin into a flawed, but hilarious thriller that doesn’t hide her camp nature or blush at bringing it up.
Surprise, surprise!
‘The Orphan: First Murder’, places us before the events of the original film to narrate the conversion of Leena into the fearsome Esther to mold a kind of repetition of what we saw in 2009. In this way, the canons of the works of “strangers within the family nucleus” are used again but counting – and playing correctly – with the dramatic irony factor in its favor.
During this section, it becomes clear that we find ourselves before a film that is not, not even remotely, perfect. Although the work of its director, William Brent Bell, is amply reliable when it comes to staging, the screenplayfull of inconsistencies and plot devices to advance the plot, and a photograph with an incomprehensible use of pro mist filters —or its equivalent in post-production— that puts the viewer’s eyes to the test due to the low contrast, blur together with no option to make it up.
Despite this, ‘First murder’ manages to entertain briskly putting Esther between a rock and a hard place constantly. But, just when we seem to reach a point of no return, the mid point more insane than we can imagine makes an appearance; bringing out the true identity of a long aware of being a simple exploitation and showing his cards with self-confidence and without any shame.
There is no doubt that this middle ground will divide the public and radically polarize their opinion. While some will instantly disconnect upon seeing the suspension of disbelief necessary for it to work shattered, others, as is my case, will embrace the proposal between complicit laughter – I could not contain myself or hide my smile of morbid fascination – and we will indulge in the grotesque and mundane pleasures of a more than worthy entertainment.
If we choose to play the game that ‘The Orphan: First Murder’ invites us to, we will be able to enjoy clever planning tricks and effects to mask the size of its protagonist, some other graphic death, some insane characters and, above all, all of a Isabelle Fuhrman and Julia Stiles fantastic and dedicated one hundred percent to the cause. Worldly pleasures for a film to remember even if its hit comes earlier than expected.