The Garden Cinema View:
László Nemes’ first two films, Son of Saul and Sunset, explored two very different periods of Hungarian/European history whilst using the same unique stylistic device. In these earlier works, cinematographer Mátyás Erdély’s camera followed the back of the protagonists, providing a third-person perspective. We followed Saul and Írisz (Sunset) around detailed sets and locations, often in long tracking shots which generated extremely immersive worlds. Orphan moves away from this trope, filmed fairly conventionally, although the set design and location work are another feat of historical reconstruction on this fractious time in late-1950s Budapest.
Here is the problem. Son of Saul and Sunset have a peculiar sense of video game aesthetics: the third person POV which tracks a character in these sandbox environments with supporting characters providing side quests and information. But without the hyperfocus on the protagonist, the limitations of this style are laid bare in Orphan. The characters still feel like NPCs, and still proclaim their expository lines (perhaps if the camera didn’t cut away they would just repeat their script). The production is handsome, but the sepia toned hues feel like cutscenes at times.
Orphan may yet come to be scene as an important piece of Nemes’ ongoing examination of 20th century Hungarian history, but for now feels like a slightly underwhelming film given the high standards he has set for himself.
