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ORPHANS Send This Review to a Friend
Written and directed by Peter Mullan, who as an actor was so good in Ken Loach's "My Name is Joe," this exercise in gallows humor adds a further dimension to his career. In "Orphans," three brothers in Glasgow and their handicapped sister mourn the death of their mother as she lies in her coffin awaiting her funeral. What happens to the various family members that night is fuel for eccentric comedy. The film was showcased in the 1999 New Directors/New Films series of the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art.
Mullan sees humor in the most dire circumstances and twits the various characters and the penchant of some to solve problems with violence. Funniest is Thomas (Gary Lewis) the solemn brother with the strongest sense of obligation who is determined to see that mum gets a proper sendoff despite the lack of focus by the rest of the family. Michael (Douglas Henshall) is occupied with a wound he received in a fight at a pub. John (Stephen McCole) is determined to avenge mistreatment of his pathetic sister Sheila (Rosemarie Stevenson), who is wheelchair bound.
A storm rages symbolically through a long night as the film focuses on the turmoil in this barely functional family. "Orphans" is serious and sometimes hilarious at the same time, but in the end, one has to wonder how worth the time meeting these characters has been. A Shooting Gallery release.
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