The Orphanage (2019 film)

The Orphanage is a 2019 Danish-Afghan drama film directed by Shahrbanoo Sadat. It was screened in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.[1][2] It is the second installment in a planned pentalogy based on the unpublished diaries of Anwar Hashimi,[3] who plays a supporting character in the film. Its prequel, Wolf and Sheep, came out in 2016.[4] It has been nominated for best film at several different film festivals,[5] winning at an international festival. They won the Best Film[6] award at the Reykjavik International Film Festival[7] in 2019.

The Orphanage
Film poster
Directed byShahrbanoo Sadat
Written byShahrbanoo Sadat
CinematographyVirginie Surdej
Edited byAlexandra Strauss
Production
company
Adomeit Film
Distributed byRouge Distribution
Release date
  • 18 May 2019 (2019-05-18) (Cannes)
Running time
90 minutes
CountriesDenmark
Afghanistan

Plot

The film follows the 15-year-old Qodrat (Qodratollah Qadiri), who at the beginning of the movie lives on the streets of 1989 Kabul and gets by on scalping cinema tickets and peddling key rings. After being picked up from the streets he is sent to the Soviet operated juvenile detention center known as "the orphanage". Here he is one of five new arrivals, along with 14-year-old Masihullah (Masihullah Feraji) and his 16-year-old nephew Fayez (Ahmad Fayaz Osmani) who are given regular meals, living quarters, a primary education. The audience is introduced to the inner life of the stony faced Qodrat in Bollywood-style dream sequences in which he is free to express his feelings for a girl in class or one of his close pals. Dorm-room power scuffles ensue, sometimes broken up by the director Anwar (Anwar Hashimi), who takes on a father-like role. Some of the boys are taken on an excursion to Moscow where they get to compete in chess with their fellow young comrades. This life is again upturned when teachers struggle to toe the line of the Mujahideen after the Soviets withdraw from Afghanistan.

This story is based on the unreleased diaries of Anwar Hashimi,[8] who played the role of the supervisor in the film. The director, Shahrbanoo Sadat,[9] was from the same village as Hashimi, therefore using his diaries felt personal for her as well. The characters, Sediqa and Qodrat, are based on them in both of the films.

Cast
Director Shahrbanoo Sadat and Anwar Hashimi at the Rotterdam International Film Festival 2020
  • Qodratollah Qadiri[10]
  • Hasibullah Rasooli[11]
  • Masihullah Feraji[12]
  • Sediqa Rasuli[13]
  • Anwar Hashimi[14]
  • Ehasanulla Kharoty

Reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 91% based on 22 reviews.[15] Jay Weissberg of Variety magazine called The Orphanage a "clumsy Bollywood re-creation" that "add[s] significant flavor".[16] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian, called the film "energetic and captivating drama".[17] Carlos Aguilar of Los Angeles Times, called the film, "an imperfect yet charming blend of Bollywood and Soviet Afghanistan."[18]

References
  1. Keslassy, Elsa (4 April 2019). "Cannes: Deerskin With Jean Dujardin to Open Directors' Fortnight". Variety.
  2. Goodfellow, Melanie. "Cannes Directors' Fortnight unveils genre-heavy 2019 selection". ScreenDaily. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  3. Jan Lumholdt (18 May 2019). "Review: The Orphanage". Cineuropa. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  4. Sarah Ward (18 May 2019). "'The Orphanage': Cannes Review". Screen Daily. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  5. The Orphanage (2019) - Awards - IMDb, retrieved 8 May 2023
  6. "Reykjavik International Film Festival (2019)". IMDb. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  7. "RIFF 2019 - PROGRAM SCHEDULE by Reykjavík International Film Festival - Issuu". issuu.com. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  8. "Anwar Hashimi". MUBI. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  9. "Shahrbanoo Sadat". MUBI. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  10. "Qodratollah Qadiri". MUBI. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  11. "Hasibullah Rasooli". MUBI. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  12. "Masihullah Feraji". MUBI. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  13. "Sediqa Rasuli". MUBI. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  14. "Anwar Hashimi". MUBI. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  15. "The Orphanage - Movie Reviews". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  16. Weissberg, Jay (21 May 2019). "Film Review: 'The Orphanage'". Variety.
  17. Bradshaw, Peter (13 May 2020). "The Orphanage review – terrific tale of an Afghan teen in trouble". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  18. Aguilar, Carlos (5 March 2021). "Review: 'The Orphanage,' an imperfect yet charming blend of Bollywood and Soviet Afghanistan". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
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