In 2007, a chilling thriller called “The Orphanage” (Original title: El Orfanato) hit the screens, sending shivers down the spine. The story centers on Laura, a mother, and her family. The narrative is set in her childhood home, an orphanage. Laura, once an orphan herself, was adopted in 1975 and, after 30 years, returns to the orphanage with a heartfelt mission. She dreams of reopening the orphanage to care for specially-abled children.
In a nutshell, this eerie tale delves into themes of revenge, guilt, and fear, painting a picture of Laura’s pure intentions. Despite her son Simon being adopted and HIV positive, Laura’s love for him knows no bounds. This film beautifully captures her unwavering devotion to her son and her dream of giving back to children like herself.
The Orphanage (2007) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis
In the eerie 2007 Spanish film “The Orphanage,” the talented Belen Rueda plays Laura, who navigates a series of chilling events upon returning to the orphanage where she grew up. The story takes a heart-wrenching turn when Laura’s son, Simon, mysteriously disappears, prompting her to uncover shocking truths about her past and her childhood friends. With Fernando Cayo as Carlos and Roger Princep as Simon, the film keeps you on the edge of your seat as Laura’s world unravels around her.
Why did Laura return to the Orphanage?
Laura was an orphan at the Orphanage until she was adopted (in 1975). After 30 years, she returns with her husband Carlos and their son Simon. Laura wants to reopen the orphanage for disabled children. One day, Laura and Simon go to a nearby beach, where she tells him about a special cave and suggests that the cave is not to be feared but actually a place to hide presents and keep secrets.
Curious, Simon goes into the cave and doesn’t come out for a long time. When Laura goes to check on him, she finds him talking to another invisible friend of his. Carlos joins them on the beach, and they all walk home together. Along the way, we see Simon leaving seashells for his friend to follow them home. On a rainy day, Laura receives a visit from a social worker named Benigna Escobedo.
Benigna reveals that she is Simon’s adoption consultant and informs Laura that Simon is adopted. Benigna is very intrusive about Simon’s pre-existing illness, so Laura asks her to leave. Laura then checks Simon’s files and discovers that he is HIV positive. Later that night, a noise awakens Laura. She investigates and finds Benigna rummaging around in the shed. Laura tries to wake her husband to confront Benigna, but by the time they get there, she is gone.
Why are Laura and Carlos worried about Simon’s friends?
The next morning, Simon excitedly tells his mother about his six new friends. He even sketches all of them. But one drawing catches Laura’s attention—a kid with a strange mask, whom Simon introduces as Tomas. Simon explains that the kids have planned a scavenger hunt game where a treasure is hidden, and the owner must find it.
Simon further reveals that his friends have hidden his coins, so Laura and Simon embark on a treasure hunt. However, the clues unexpectedly lead Simon to his adoption papers, upsetting Laura. Simon, sensing his mother’s distress, yells at her that he knows he is adopted and believes he will die soon because of his illness. When Laura asks Simon who told him about the adoption and his illness, Simon replies, “Tomas.” This worries the parents about Simon’s unusual friends. The scene then shifts to the day the orphanage reopens. Laura and Simon argue about Simon wanting to play with Tomas at the beach. In a moment of frustration, Laura slaps Simon, causing him to run away from her.
The orphanage’s reopening is a festive animal masquerade-themed party. When Laura can’t find Simon for a long time, she goes inside to search for him. Rather than finding Simon, Laura encounters a kid wearing a mask similar to Tomas’s. Laura initially thinks the kid is Simon, but when she tries to remove his mask, he pushes Laura and locks her in the bathroom.
As other guests come to Laura’s rescue, she reveals that Simon is missing. Everyone starts looking for Simon in the orphanage. Meanwhile, we see Laura rushing to the cave near the beach to look for him, but Carlos stops her, and they decide to file a police complaint instead. Pilar, the head police psychologist, reveals that a relative might have kidnapped Simon. Laura mentions Benigna as an intruder, but Pilar informs her that there is no registered social worker by that name.
What happened to the Kids in the orphanages after Laura was adopted?
Benigna becomes the prime suspect in Simon’s disappearance. Laura, now bound to a wheelchair due to a sea-related injury, hears mysterious noises one night in the hallway. She follows them to Simon’s room, where she finds a doll. The movie then jumps six months ahead, and Simon is still missing. His parents are struggling with grief over their son’s disappearance.
On their way home from a counseling session, the couple spots Benigna with a stroller. However, before they can confront her, Benigna is fatally hit by a truck and dies on the spot. When Laura looks into the stroller, she finds a doll resembling Tomas. Pilar gathers some pictures and videos from Benigna’s house and gives them to Laura. It is later revealed that Benigna is a former employee of the old orphanage. Unknown to many, Benigna had a son named Tomas, who, due to his facial deformity, was mostly kept hidden.
Pilar then shows Laura some news articles about Tomas’s death, revealing that Laura’s childhood friends had played a cruel trick on Tomas, forcing him into the cave where he died due to high tides. Laura also goes through some of the film reels from Benigna’s house and watches a video showing Tomas’s real, deformed face. Later in the film, it is revealed that Benigna poisoned Laura’s childhood friends as revenge for Tomas’s death. She killed them and hid their bodies in the shed. Benigna also returned to the shed on another night to retrieve the bodies.
The Orphanage (2007) Movie Ending Explained:
How did Simon die?
After watching the film showing Tomas’s true appearance, Laura starts to experience haunting encounters every night, confirming her belief in the supernatural. Seeking answers, she reaches out to Professor Balaban, who connects her with Aurora, a medium. After Aurora’s investigations, she concludes that there are spirits of five kids in Laura’s house, but there is no sign of Simon.
Laura sinks deeper into depression and decides to search for Simon inside the orphanage on her own. She starts receiving hints, such as her and Simon’s picture, a chocolate wrap, and a door knob. Laura tries to use the door knob on every door at the establishment. But when everything fails, she recreates the orphanage as it was in 1975. In the process, she comes across the bodies of the kids who died in the orphanage, realizing they belonged to her childhood friends: Martin, Rita, Alicia, Guillermo, and Victor.
Laura tries to explain her theory to Carlos, but they get into an argument, and he walks out. She transforms the place to look like it did in 1975 and takes a large amount of sedatives to try to contact the spirits of her friends. Laura then plays a game of knocking on the walls, and the spirits of her friends draw close to her. They lead her to a small room where construction materials are stored, hinting at Simon’s location.
Laura empties the room, tears off the wallpaper, and inserts the doorknob, revealing a hidden room leading to Tomas’s room. She goes down the stairs and finds her son lying in a corner, apparently unharmed. Overwhelmed with relief, she holds him and cries. However, she soon realizes that the weight in her arms is getting lighter. She discovers that she is actually holding a blanket and finds her son’s corpse, which causes her to scream in grief, realizing what caused his death.
It is revealed that while looking for Simon on the night of his disappearance, Laura had arranged pieces of construction scaffolding, unknowingly blocking the entrance to the secret room. The mysterious and crashing noises that night were caused by Simon as he was trying to escape. In his attempt to get out, he fell down the stairs and broke his neck.
Laura takes her son’s body to the recreated orphanage room and takes a fatal dose of sedatives, choosing to end her life. However, in a surreal twist, Laura and Simon wake up in the orphanage bedroom, surrounded by all the other childhood friends of Laura, who now look at her as a motherly figure. Laura tells all the kids a bedtime story, bringing them comfort and peace. The movie concludes with Carlos returning to the orphanage and looking at someone with a smile, suggesting a sense of closure and acceptance in the face of tragedy.
The Orphanage (2007) Movie Themes Analyzed:
There are striking parallels between Benigna and Laura. Both women have sons facing significant challenges—Benigna’s son, who had a facial deformity, was tragically killed by Laura’s childhood friends, while Laura’s son is dealing with a health issue. However, their responses to their sons’ situations differ drastically. Benigna’s deep love for her son led her to seek revenge on Laura’s childhood friends, whom she blamed for her son’s death. In a twisted act of love, Benigna ended up taking the lives of all of Laura’s childhood friends.
When Simon goes missing, Laura is consumed by guilt, especially regarding the argument they had before he disappeared. Her guilt deepens when she realizes that she accidentally locked Simon in a room in the basement, where he tragically died. Unable to cope with her overwhelming guilt, Laura decides to take her own life. In a poignant twist, the movie gives a glimpse into a happy afterlife where Laura, Simon, and the children from the orphanage find peace together.
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