Orphans

A film set in a house in Philadelphia. Treat and Phillip are brothers. There are no parents; they have lived alone in this house for years. Treat goes out. He steals wallets, gets into fights and brings money home. Phillip never goes out; his brother told him he is allergic to the outside and would die, and he believes it. He watches television all day and looks out of the window. One night Treat finds an old man in a bar. He is drunk and well dressed; Treat brings him home, ties him up and means to ask a ransom. In the morning the man unties himself. Harold is not afraid; he walks around the house, looks at the kitchen and tells the two brothers his own story: he grew up an orphan as well. After that the order reverses. Harold stays, brings money, gives Treat work and teaches Phillip to read. Order comes to the house. What the film is interested in is how long that new order will last: Harold's own business is dangerous and there are men after him. At the centre is Treat's anger; the man cannot see the difference between protecting his brother and keeping him inside. The source is Lyle Kessler's play and the structure comes from the stage; the narrative takes place almost entirely in one house. Albert Finney plays Harold, Matthew Modine plays Treat and Kevin Anderson plays Phillip. Alan J. Pakula directed. Who it is for: anyone who likes drama built on performance and set in one place. Who it is not for: anyone looking for realism; the narrative comes from the theatre and the characters' reactions are deliberately exaggerated.