Abhiroop Das
Directed by Olivier Schneider, ‘The Orphans,’ or ‘Les Orphelins,’ navigates the complex relationship of childhood best friends Driss and Gabriel, who went their different ways nearly two decades ago. Upon learning that their first love, Sofia, has been injured in a car accident, the duo reunites under tragic circumstances, only to find their dynamic near unrecognizable. However, things take a sharp turn when Sofia’s daughter, Leila, tries to take matters into her own hands by delivering justice to the perpetrators.
Without warning, Leila finds herself at odds with the leader of a massive security company, who is prepared to do whatever it takes to keep the truth from leaking. As a result, Driss and Gabriel join hands once again, reigniting the bond they once forged in The Wild Brooms Children’s Shelter. At its heart, this French action drama movie is as much about action as it is about the true definition of family itself.
The Orphans is a Fictional Work About the Aftermath of a Car Accident
‘The Orphans’ is a work of pure fiction penned by Olivier Schneider, Alban Lenoir, Nicolas Peufaillit, and Jean-André Yerlès. While the creators have not pointed to anything from real life as their reference point, it is likely that some inspiration came from Schneider’s background as an acclaimed stunt coordinator. Having worked behind the scenes on hit titles such as ‘No Time to Die,’ ‘Moon Knight,’ and ‘Fast X,’ Schneider is fully attuned to how action storytelling can be pushed to its limits and beyond. To that end, the premise of ‘The Orphans’ serves as a stepping stone for most of the movie’s action setpieces, many of which are filmed on-site with complicated techniques, so as to keep the experience as immersive as possible.
Although the movie doesn’t directly call back to any real-life incidents or true stories, it may draw partial references from real-life cases of a similar nature. As per the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an estimated 27,365 people died in traffic crashes in the United States in 2025, a staggering number that speaks to the many dangers that can be expected on the road. In ‘The Orphans,’ a car crash-related tragedy sets off a chain of events that goes far beyond anyone’s control, and the creators are sensitive in capturing how such incidents affect people from all walks of life. However, while the film may reconstruct such tragedies for a fictional world, the larger story itself is invented in nature.
The Wild Brooms Children’s Shelter Crystallizes Many of the Movie’s Core Themes
A major chunk of the movie takes place in the orphanage that the lead characters, Driss and Gabriel, once called home. This place, named The Wild Brooms Children’s Shelter, is a fictional orphanage created by the writing team. While it is likely that they referenced real-life orphanages and child help centers to reimagine their feel, aesthetics, and operational methods for the movie, much of The Wild Brooms’ characterization comes from its fictional context, as a home for children who need it the most. To that end, it maintains a warm and familiar-seeming depiction on screen, with the characters treating it as a springboard for deeper conversations about themselves and their respective pasts.
Notably, much of ‘The Orphans’ was primarily lensed in the commune of Saint-Jean-de-Luz, located in France’s Basque Country. Many of the seaside town’s most iconic locations are featured in the movie, and it is likely that one such building doubles as the fictional The Wild Brooms Children’s Shelter. Filming on-site made it possible for the crew to freely explore their surroundings in search of the perfect shot, which is important when it comes to an orphanage that is meant to evoke the nostalgia of childhood. The name, The Wild Brooms, is itself curious in nature and is likely a reference to a species of flowering bush known as brooms. As such, every carefully added detail surrounding this fictional orphanage points back to its main motif, that of innocence and warmth, making it the perfect complementary piece for the movie’s action spectacles.
Read More: The Orphans Ending Explained: Who is Leila’s father? Is it Driss or Gabriel?
