Orphans 1997

views updated

Orphans ★★ 1997

Three brothers and their handicapped sister come unraveled in the 24-hour period following their mother's death. The four Flynn siblings head for the pub the night before the funeral where eldest brother Thomas (Lewis) takes to singing, drawing amusement from the onlookers. This upsets Michael (Henshall), who then gets stabbed in the subsequent bar fight, leading youngest brother John (McCole) to vow to get revenge. Meanwhile, angry, wheelchair-bound Sheila (Stevenson) is bored and decides to take a little roll around Glasgow on her own. Frustrated characters all lash out at one another. Feature directorial debut of actor Mullan. 102m/C VHS, DVD . GB Douglas Henshall, Gary Lewis, Stephen McCole, Rosemarie Stevenson, Alex Norton, Frank Gallagher, Malcolm Shields; D: Peter Mullan; W: Peter Mullan; C: Grant Scott Cameron; M: Craig Armstrong.