R6dw6C wrote: Btw, I thought the ending was great. 

It was a touching ending ... but i thought it was an "easy" way to end ... it would be difficult to spring a surprise on the audience (which was what i thought could make the film much better) The following is quoted from THE LAST MOVIE WATCHED thread 
R6dw6C wrote: I watched " El Orfanato / The Orphanage " tonight in the cinema (dubbed) and couldn't really figure out what all this fuss is about and why they (Spain) chose it as their Oscar submission - it's well done, it has its great and hypnotic moments but overall, it isn't outstanding in any way expect for the slow and non-striking pacing which is very unusual today in films like this (mystery / ghost tale), as well as the pleasant lack of ridiculous loud shock effects and clumsy gore. But the writer / director should've cared for more than this and elegant photography, it needs a bit more creativity and substance (the film has substance but it feels forced sometimes) to get grandeur and that's what they obviously wanted to achieve. I had to think of Jack Clayton's "The Innocents" all the time, as well as of Dario Argento and William Castle - not a compliment for a remarkable, but overrated film. (7/10 - 19) 


I also wondered at their choice for Oscar submission. I could believe it was a box office hit, but somehow, i doubt the academy members would appreciate or applaud this kind of film ... 

in fact, when the film first began, i even wondered, would it be another The Sixth Sense?! ... but by the end, i thought it did not have the depth of The Sixth Sense ...