Orphan First Kill takeaway: Prequel places psychiatric patients in a social hierarchy, a first

Orphan First Kill is a psychological thriller that revolves around a Russian psychiatric patient, Leena, played by Isabelle Fuhrman. The driving force of the film is that Leena impersonates Esther Albright, the missing daughter of an American family.

The film was released in theaters and Paramount+ on August 19, 2022. In addition to Fuhrman, the cast includes actors Julia Stiles as Tricia Albright, Rossif Sutherland as Allen Albright, Matthew Finlan as Gunnar Albright, and Hiro Kanagawa as Inspector Donnan.

Directed by William Brent Bell, the film is a prequel to the 2009 film Orphan, which is regarded as a cult movie. Orphan followed Leena's adoption by an American family after the events of Orphan First Kill and ended with Leena drowning in a frozen river. However, Leena's death was not confirmed. Orphan First Kill did amplify the level of gore and violence that protagonist Leena is capable of displaying.

Orphan First Kill traced back the story to Saarne Institute, Estonia, in 2007, where Leena was admitted as a psychiatric patient and was dubbed one of the most dangerous patients. Although there are alterations to certain arcs, including Leena's character, Orphan First Kill concluded with Leena's saga as a murderous orphan.

Read on to find out what the new film has to offer.

---

Soon after its start, Orphan First Kill revealed that certain characters knew about Leena's impersonation

Almost an hour into the film, it was revealed that Tricia, Esther's mother, and Gunnar, Esther's brother, knew Leena was impersonating Esther. While Inspector Donnan's murder further disclosed Leena's history as a psychiatric patient, Tricia and Gunnar hid this information from Allen, Esther's father.

Tricia explained that Allen had recovered since Leena's impersonation of Esther. She further revealed that Gunnar had accidentally killed Esther, and she had concealed this fact to protect her family. Thus, Tricia and Leena struck a deal, and straying away from it could lead to Leena's death.

For the first time, we saw a scared Leena, who collaborated with Tricia and continued to put up the pretense of Esther. This also raised the question of the basis of classifying humans as either "mentally ill" or "normal."

In another scene where Leena smacked Gunnar in the face for threatening her, Gunnar said,

"I f***king own you."

This outburst portrayed the sense of entitlement that the "normals" believe they have, unlike the "unstable" Leena. These focus become a commentary on the lives of those that do not have the mental, physical, and economic resources to defend themselves.

---

Orphan First Kill creates a fleeting scope for a humane portrayal of psychiatric patients

In Orphan, Leena was portrayed as a psychiatric patient whose presence near a family could lead to its doom. The only bit of information about her past was that she was a runaway from the Saarne Institute for psychiatric patients in Estonia.

Orphan First Kill, on the other hand, not only established the events at Saarne but also threw light on how Leena traveled into America. Leena's character arc was also expanded to accommodate vulnerability.

For instance, events in the film could confuse viewers into believing that Leena could also have a moral standpoint. However, writers Alex Mace and David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick quickly ensured that Leena was reinstated to her former gory glory.

However, the writers do not take a few essential cues forward in this film. Optimism allows us to think that these could be taken up in a third film, but only time will tell.

---

Orphan First Kill is available on Paramount+. Viewers with a preference towards thrillers will enjoy the depictions of this movie.