''Orphans'' is a 1998 Scottish black comedy film written and directed by

Peter Mullan Peter Mullan (; born 2 November 1959) is a Scottish actor and filmmaker. He is best known for his role in Ken Loach's ''My Name Is Joe'' (1998), for which he won Best Actor Award at 1998 Cannes Film Festival, 2000's '' The Claim'' and all thr ...

and starring

Douglas Henshall Douglas “Dougie” James Henshall (born 19 November 1965) is a Scottish television, film and stage actor. He is best known for his roles as Professor Nick Cutter in the science fiction series '' Primeval'' (2007–2011) and Detective Inspect ...

, Gary Lewis and Rosemarie Stevenson. This was the first full-length film directed by Mullan, who later won a Best Actor award at

Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions I ...

for ''

My Name is Joe ''My Name Is Joe'' is a 1998 British romantic drama film directed by Ken Loach. The film stars Peter Mullan as Joe Kavanagh, an unemployed recovering alcoholic in Glasgow, Scotland who meets and falls in love with a health visitor, played by ...

'', and who went on to direct ''

The Magdalene Sisters ''The Magdalene Sisters'' is a 2002 drama film written and directed by Peter Mullan, about three teenage girls who were sent to Magdalene asylums (also known as 'Magdalene Laundries') homes for women who were labelled as "fallen" by their familie ...

'' and '' Neds''. He has said that the film is not autobiographical, but that he wrote the film shortly after the death of his mother, and that each of the four main characters represent an element of what he was feeling at the time. The film was funded by Channel 4 Films, the

Scottish Arts Council The Scottish Arts Council ( gd, Comhairle Ealain na h-Alba, sco, Scots Airts Cooncil) was a Scottish public body responsible for the funding, development and promotion of the arts in Scotland. The Council primarily distributed funding from the ...

National Lottery Fund, and the Glasgow Film Fund. The soundtrack includes music by Craig Armstrong, and

Billy Connolly Sir William Connolly (born 24 November 1942) is a Scottish actor, retired comedian, artist, writer, musician, and presenter. He is sometimes known, especially in his homeland, by the Scots nickname the Big Yin ("the Big One"). Known for his ...

singing

Mairi's Wedding "Mairi's Wedding" (also known as Marie's Wedding, the Lewis Bridal Song, or gd, Màiri Bhàn "Blond Mary") is a Scottish folk song originally written in Gaelic by John Roderick Bannerman (1865–1938) for Mary C. MacNiven (1905–1997) on the o ...

and two songs he wrote for the film.

Plot

On a grey day in Glasgow, Scotland, three brothers and their disabled sister meet to arrange their mother, Mrs Flynn's, funeral. After they go to a public house and an incident occurs which separates the four and causes one to go on the search for a gun and one to pass off their stab wound as a work injury. The eldest brother stays overnight at the church to prepare for the funeral as their sister's wheelchair breaks down in a dark alleyway, causing her to be stranded and alone, desperate for help. What occurs is a journey of virtue and sin for each of them that will prove to them how much they truly miss their mother.

Cast

as Michael Flynn * Gary Lewis as Thomas Flynn *Rosemarie Stevenson as Sheila Flynn *

Stephen McCole Stephen McCole is a Scottish actor. He is best known for starring in the dark comedy series ''High Times'',Paul English"High Times duo Stephen and Paul McCole find fame in unlikely places" '' The Daily Record'', 28 June 2008. Retrieved 1 June 20 ...

as John Flynn * Frank Gallagher as Tanga

Distribution and reception

Having funded production, Channel Four Films decided not to distribute the film as they did not think it would attract a large commercial audience. The film was first shown at the 1998

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...

, out of the main competition, but gaining four awards for Mullan: the Cult Network Italia Prize, the Isvema Award, the Kodak Award and the Prix Pierrot. In 1998, it also won prizes at the

Gijón International Film Festival The Gijón International Film Festival ( ast, Festival Internacional de Cine de Xixón or ''FICXixón'') is an annual film festival held in Gijón, a city in northwest Spain. History The festival's origins date back to 1963. In the beginning i ...

, and the

British Independent Film Awards The British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) is an organisation that celebrates, supports and promotes British independent cinema and filmmaking talent in United Kingdom. Nominations for the annual awards ceremony are announced in early November, ...

. It won the Grand Prix at the 1999

Festival du Film de Paris The Festival du Film de Paris, also known as Paris Film Festival, was a film festival held annually in Paris, France. It was launched in 1986 as a youth-oriented festival. In 2002, the municipal government withdrew funding and began Festival Paris ...

and won Mullan the Best Newcomer award at the 2000

Evening Standard British Film Awards The Evening Standard British Film Awards were established in 1973 by London's ''Evening Standard'' newspaper. The Standard Awards is the only ceremony "dedicated to British and Irish talent," judged by a panel of "top UK critics." Each ceremony ...

. In interviews, Mullan has said that once ''Orphans'' started winning awards Channel Four apologised and asked if they could distribute it, an offer he refused. In 2021, it was announced that the film had been adapted into a musical with the National Theatre of Scotland. It was adapted by Douglas Maxwell with original music written and composed by Roddy Hart and Tommy Reilly. The show starred Robert Florence, Reuben Joseph, Dylan Wood and Amy Conachan amongst others. The show opened at the SEC Armadillo in Glasgow in April 2022 to a very positive reception.

References

External links

{{IMDb title, 0119842, Orphans 1998 films Scottish films British black comedy films Films set in Glasgow Films directed by Peter Mullan Films scored by Craig Armstrong (composer) 2000s English-language films 1990s English-language films 1990s British films 2000s British films