Review of Orphans (1998) by Daniel M — 12 May 2014

The directorial debut of Scottish actor Peter Mullan, a dark, satirical and quite original piece about the closeness and unbreakable spirit of a family bond. Or, that's how it SHOULD be, but this film focuses on what happens when, despite best laid plans, things tend to go slightly awry.

In Glasgow, the Flynn family come together to mourn the passing of their mother (Ann Swan), her sons Thomas (Gary Lewis), John (Douglas Henshall), Michael (Stephen McCole) and disabled daughter Sheila (Rosemarie Stevenson).

The night before her funeral, Thomas announces he's going to stay by her side in the church as a vigil. But, this is the night everything that could go wrong, does go wrong. John gets stabbed in a pub brawl, and spends the night on a pub crawl, eventually getting a lock-in he wasn't expecting.

Sheila ends up at a little girls house after leaving the church, even when her brother Thomas was supposed to be looking after her, and Michael ends up with a gun trying to avenge the man who stabbed John, but nothing goes to plan for him.

And THEN, a storm rages through Glasgow, ripping the roof of the church where the funeral is meant to be. As dark as it sounds, there are moments of absolutely hilarious comedy here, some of it gallows humour, but it has a warmth about it's bones.

Mullan shows confidence and imagination in his first film as director, and gets the best out of his cast. A very serious comedy and a hilarious drama at the same time.