Film Review: Orphans (1997)

A Darkly Humorous Family Story by Peter Mullan

Apr 11, 2009 Andrea Beca

A review of Orphans, which follows the (mis)adventures of four siblings on their separate ways to their mother's funeral.

Known more widely for his extensive acting career, Glasgow-born Peter Mullan is also a talented writer and director. 1997’s Orphans is probably his best-known work – it created quite a splash when it was released, winning numerous independent film award and accolades. Infamous Scottish writer Irvine Welsh called it, “the best movie I’ve seen in ma puff [in my life].” The film centres on the four damaged siblings of a family who has just lost their mother. Now they must all make it to her funeral, each overcoming their own barriers along the way.

Distinct and Likeable Characters in Orphans Win the Audience Over

As soon as Orphans begins, you can’t help but become attached to the quirky and unique siblings, each of whom has a distinct personality:

Thomas (played by Gary Lewis) is the eldest sibling, and the most devoted to their mother. He cannot bear to leave her side, even after she has passed, and is determined to keep vigil by her coffin in the church where her service will be held the following morning.
Sheila (Rosemarie Stevenson), the only sister in the family, struggles with her disability. Always being pushed around in her wheelchair by Thomas, Sheila would rather go down to the pub with her other brothers, but instead has her life dictated for her by her eldest brother.
Michael (Douglas Henshall) is the next eldest brother in the family. His current goal in life is to find enough money that he can support his family and therefore win back the affection of his wife, who has left him and taken their two children with her.
John (Stephen McCole), the baby of the family, has lost focus on his university education since the passing of his mother. He’s turned instead to taking his anger out on strangers, and quickly falls into a pattern of violence.

Things Turn Ugly for the Siblings in a Single Evening

It all starts in a pub. The four Orphans siblings are having a drink just after their mother’s death. Thomas gets up to sing a song for his mother; he bursts into tears, spurring the drunken karaoke audience to make fun of him. This angers Michael, who in turn picks a fight with one of Thomas’ hecklers. This leads to Michael getting stabbed during the brawl, which leads to John vowing to avenge his brother’s wound, which leads to the near death of an infant, while Thomas flees to the church, Sheila escapes on her own adventure, and Michael slowly (very slowly) bleeds to death. Will the siblings make it to their mother’s funeral? Is blood really thicker than water?

Peter Mullan's Orphans is Well Written and Well Acted

Peter Mullan does an excellent job of spinning an incredibly tangled web through which the orphans must navigate. The storyline, though complicated, falls into place brilliantly as the movie ends, with every character’s story wrapped up, happily or not. Ultimately, despite its incredibly dark and sarcastic humour, Orphans is a touching story of a group of siblings who genuinely love one another, and who support one another despite their many, many problems. Mullan has a knack for mixing the hilarious with the moving, and underlines the fact that although no one is perfect, it’s possible for a family to work through their problems and make it out alive – even after being stabbed.

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