Orphan

Plot Summary

Four different instances in the life of the same woman, as this is divided into four significant periods of her existence: childhood, puberty, adolescence, and adulthood, all representing fragments and diverse aspects of her being as its central focal point. Emotionally damaged, Renée is a caring schoolteacher committed to the education of underprivileged youth, trying to get pregnant with her boyfriend in an attempt to straighten out her life. However, her past catches up to her in the shape of Tara, a self-destructive, addicted gambler who has some unfinished business with her which dates back some seven years. Stepping back in time we find careless, fresh 20-something Sandra, whom elderly professional gambler Lev introduces to the world of horse racing and gives her a job at the racetrack as a "mule"--carrying bet money to the cashiers. Further back in time, Karine is an early-developed, audacious 13-year-old who engages in a constant merry-go-round of superficial relationships, always on the run from her brutal father, craving the attention she has never received. Ultimately, we see Kiki, a little girl from the province, whose innocent game of hide-and-seek quickly turns into a disaster. In the end, as we examine this fractured portrait of interconnected parallel lives, we can finally reach the very soul of a fearless woman, a complex individual who is determined to achieve freedom.