The Orphanage (2019 film)

The Orphanage is a 2019 Danish-Afghan drama film written and directed by Shahrbanoo Sadat. It was screened in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.^[1][2] It is the second installment in a planned pentalogy based on the unpublished diaries of Anwar Hashimi,^[3] who plays a supporting character in the film. Its prequel, Wolf and Sheep, came out in 2016.^[4] It has been nominated for best film at different film festivals.^[5] They won the Best Film^[6] award at the Reykjavik International Film Festival^[7] in 2019.

The Orphanage
Film poster
Directed by	Shahrbanoo Sadat
Written by	Shahrbanoo Sadat
Cinematography	Virginie Surdej
Edited by	Alexandra Strauss
Production company	Adomeit Film
Distributed by	Rouge Distribution
Release date	18 May 2019 (2019-05-18) (Cannes)
Running time	90 minutes
Countries	Denmark Afghanistan

Plot

The film follows the 15-year-old Qodrat (Qodratollah Qadiri), who at the beginning of the movie lives on the streets of 1989 Kabul and gets by on scalping cinema tickets and peddling key rings. After being picked up from the streets he is sent to the Soviet operated juvenile detention center known as "the orphanage". Here he is one of five new arrivals, along with 14-year-old Masihullah (Masihullah Feraji) and his 16-year-old nephew Fayez (Ahmad Fayaz Osmani) who are given regular meals, living quarters, a primary education. The audience is introduced to the inner life of the stony faced Qodrat in Bollywood-style dream sequences in which he is free to express his feelings for a girl in class or one of his close pals. Dorm-room power scuffles ensue, sometimes broken up by the director Anwar (Anwar Hashimi), who takes on a father-like role. Some of the boys are taken on an excursion to Moscow where they get to compete in chess with their fellow young comrades. This life is again upturned when teachers struggle to toe the line of the Mujahideen after the Soviets withdraw from Afghanistan.

This story is based on the unreleased diaries of Anwar Hashimi,^[8] who played the role of the supervisor in the film. The director, Shahrbanoo Sadat,^[9] was from the same village as Hashimi, therefore using his diaries felt personal for her as well. The characters, Sediqa and Qodrat, are based on them in both of the films.

Cast

Director Shahrbanoo Sadat and Anwar Hashimi at the Rotterdam International Film Festival 2020

• Qodratollah Qadiri^[10]
• Hasibullah Rasooli^[11]
• Masihullah Feraji^[12]
• Sediqa Rasuli^[13]
• Anwar Hashimi^[14]
• Ehasanulla Kharoty

Reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 91% based on 22 reviews.^[15] Jay Weissberg of Variety magazine called The Orphanage a "clumsy Bollywood re-creation" that "add[s] significant flavor".^[16] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian, called the film "energetic and captivating drama".^[17] Carlos Aguilar of Los Angeles Times, called the film, "an imperfect yet charming blend of Bollywood and Soviet Afghanistan."^[18]