Good concept, poorly executed.

Best movie ever!

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

With his third film as director Neds seeing release just recently, the previous two films of Peter Mullan were given a back-to-back television showing. I managed to catch his first, Orphans, having never before heard anything of it.Meeting to mourn the loss of their mother, four Glaswegian siblings gather in a pub. When an inconsiderate group laugh at the lugubrious singing of the eldest, one of his brothers retorts physically and is stabbed. The remaining brother vows to avenge this whilst the handicapped sister finds herself stuck in a darkened alley, her wheelchair broken.Orphans begins with a solemn scene, the four siblings gathered around their mother's coffin. Some gentle humour is created through the siblings' confusion at their elder's request that they place some hair in the coffin. This introduces us to the film's primary structure: scenes of genuine heartfelt drama lined with a subtle comedy to balance the mood. As things progress, we begin to see in increase in this comic factor, the film's clever blending of its contrasting elements creating a wonderful dichotomy. The true beauty of the film, however, is in its juxtaposition of its constituent elements. Many are the scenes which Mullan allows to play out, drawing us in with a barrage of riotous laughter, before effortlessly turning this on its head with a disarming simplicity and forcing us to comprehend the dramatic implications of the events unfolding before us. In a simple moment, we go from laughing at something to considering its grim seriousness. It is a stunning effect, one often attempted but rarely realised so fantastically as here. Mullan ends his scenes by inviting us to reconsider what we have just seen; we find ourselves looking at events with a melancholy when just moments ago they had us reduced to breathless laughter. He allows us to indulge ourselves in the fantastic comedy his writing engenders before showing us that these scenarios are in fact tremendously dark and dramatic. We may chuckle at Michael's determination to pass off his stab wound as an industrial accident, but we quickly reevaluate the true humour of this when we realise that he is slowly dying, his lightening pallor eventually quite frightening. This is just one example of the many such twists Mullan throws at us, showing himself to be as dramatically dark as he is ingeniously funny.A truly fantastic combination of drama and comedy, done in a subversive way which forces us to reevaluate what we thought of a scene just seconds before, Orphans is a fantastic exploration of the closeness of drama and comedy. Splendidly supported by fantastic, hilarious, and realistically authentic Glaswegian performances, this film has certainly proclaimed Peter Mullan as a masterful director.

Don't read any reviews... WATCH THE FILM FIRST...First of all - This is my first feature film comment. I felt compelled to do so like never before after watching a film. I've seen the short film called the Fridge also written and directed by Mr Mullen. I guess I must be a fan then! Why did I like this film so much? It's a rich tapestry of plot lines centred around the death of the mother of four grown siblings - a brilliantly crafted and extremely well written script. I wondered several times where the plot was going. I loved the way the dry humour enhances the dark theme and at one point I was in hysterics. I know not everyone will share my view as everyone has different opinions of life but I'm one of those people who can laugh during funerals anyway.Totally realistic characters were acted by a brilliant cast - I use the term acted because it didn't seem like any of them were acting.The best way to watch this film is without expectations and not even seeing trailers or reading synopsises (my preferred way). If you haven't already seen it let it take you with it and let it carry you along as it did with me with no preconceived ideas or judgements. Let it surprise you with it's honesty of character and delight you with its humour. I see it as a gritty drama with funny moments rather than a comedy as such.It's firmly in my top three favourite films along with Fargo and Life of Brian.This comment hasn't done the film any justice and I'm hoping you've already seen it before you've read this far. I just wanted to show support for this British, nay Scottish, gem of a film.

Excellent movie and nice extras on the DVD.Handles the effects of death in a Catholic family while still making one of the darkest comedies I've seen for a while. Peter Mullan proves again that he is a fine story teller as well as a fine actor. Full credits to the cast also especially Douglas Henshall, Gary Lewis and first time actress, Rosemarie Stevenson.

I like British films so much that I don't care who the author is, I just watch them because I enjoy their atmosphere and style. But this film was a mere disappointment. If "Orphans" was meant to be grotesque, the result is poor; if it meant to move the audience to tears (but I don't suppose this was its aim) the result is poor, too. The characters portrayed here are uninteresting: I don't see why so much attention should be focused on these four brothers living their mediocre lives, and doing their best to complicate matters the very night before their mother's funeral. Authors like Mike Leigh and Ken Loach have already showed us how to make common people's lives appealing on the screen. I guess Mullan should carefully examine his masters' works before directing another film.