6. Orphan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ywOPNNii9w Orphan is a cracking, highly underrated thriller from 2009 about the less talked-about perils of adoption, specifically that your lovely new bundle of joy might actually be a middle-aged woman in disguise. Indeed, Kate (Vera Farmiga) and John (Peter Sarsgaard) think they'll be playing happily families once they adopt 9-year-old Estonian girl Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman), but are soon weirded out by her precociousness and specifically her sexual advances towards John. They eventually find out that Esther is infact a 33-year-old woman called Leena with a hormone disorder who uses make-up, false teeth and other convoluted means to disguise her age. What's more, she's a murderous psychopath, something John realises too late, as he ends up being stabbed to death by her. When she turns her attention towards the family's other kids, Kate springs into action, and ends up snapping Leena's neck with a swift kick. Just the whole third act of the film is bats**t crazy, but in the best way possible. It's a totally ridiculous B-movie that crackles thanks to firm direction and great performances, especially from Fuhrman as Esther/Leena.
Shaun Munro
Contributor
Frequently sleep-deprived film addict and video game obsessive who spends more time than is healthy in darkened London screening rooms. Follow his twitter on @ShaunMunroFilm or e-mail him at shaneo632 [at] gmail.com.
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