In this study session, Carmen Herrero will introduce the themes and historical background to El orfanato. The session will introduce students to aspects of contemporary Spanish cinema and will focus on the work of director Alejandro Amenábar. Following the film screening, students will use written and spoken Spanish to complete AS/A2 language and grammar exercises and will discuss the film’s issues and themes in detail. Students will also be introduced to genre and auteur cinema using this box office success as a case study.
Screening: El orfanato (15) (The Orphanage)
Dir Juan Antonio Bayona / Spain 2007 / 105 mins / In Spanish with English subtitles / Belén Rueda, Fernando Cayo, Mabel Rivera, Roger Príncep
Laura, her husband, and young son Simón move to a former orphanage where Laura lived as a child. But the place has a disturbing effect on Simón who befriends some disconcerting imaginary playmates. El orfanato is a story of grief, remorse and maternal longing, cloaked in the ghostly garb of a classic chiller.