From Children of the Corn to The Omen, wicked, possessed or deranged kids are common in horror movies. In fact, they're downright trite these days. So an otherwise obscure thriller like this one should come and go without much notice. Except, in this case, the important subject of adoption is the controversial hinge on which the narrative pivots.
Early promotional spots featured Esther saying, "It must be hard to love an adopted child as much as your own." But as outrage from virtually every adoption agency in America has mounted, Warner Bros. backed off to a more generic tagline: "There's something wrong with Esther."
That, however, hasn't kept adoption advocates from continuing to voice deep concern about the film's potentially negative influence. Orphans Deserve Better says, "However farfetched some stories are, they can still subtly shape our values and perceptions." Kelly Rosati, senior director for Focus on the Family's orphan care initiative, adds, "Orphan reinforces false and negative stereotypes about orphan children and adoption. With more than 127,000 kids in U.S. foster care awaiting adoption, many of whom have endured all-too-real abuse and neglect, the last thing they need is to be the subject of a film that uses violence for entertainment value."
Likewise, a coalition of 11 other adoption and foster care groups echoed similar concerns in a letter to Warner Bros. CEO Barry Meyer. "We are concerned that ... this film will have the unintended effect of skewing public opinion against children awaiting families in both the United States and abroad," it read, while noting that the film may exacerbate "unconscious fears of potential foster and adoptive families that orphaned children are psychotic and unable to heal from the wounds of abuse, neglect and abandonment."
Indeed it may. What else is supposed to go through your mind when a 9-year-old orphan puts a revolver to a preschooler's head? Or a nun gets bludgeoned to death with a hammer? Or a drunk father is crudely propositioned by his adoptive daughter?
Orphans everywhere deserve much better than what this messed-up movie gives them.
And FYI. Just reading the summary of the movie made me a little sick. For pity sake, don't support this movie.
2 comments:
Ness--
Mike and I saw a trailer for Orphan not too long ago in the theater. Just the trailer made me sick...the whole idea of a premise that gives adoption a bad wrap is bad enough, but I kept thinking, "who is the parent of this actor?? Who would let their kid DO this??" It was utterly appalling.
I had a friend that went to see it actually and someone on their fb page asked them afterwards if they would adopt someday.. Movies like this no matter how far stretched really do effect the way people think and look at things.
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