[spoilers ahead]
This 2015 sci-fi thriller by A24 features an orphan character as well as orphan concepts.
Orphan Character: In an early scene, Caleb explains that his parents died in a car accident when he was 15, and after that, he went to live with his aunt.
Impact on plot: Blue Book CEO Nathan Bateman describes why he selected Caleb for the experiment –
Caleb: “Bullshit. I wasn’t chosen because I’m good at coding. I was *chosen because I was good at being manipulated.”
Nathan: “No. That’s not it.”
Caleb: “No?”
Nathan: “No. But maybe that’s what you think. That you’re easy to manipulate. And that’s what I was counting on.”
And in another scene –
Nathan: “You’re freaked out. You’re freaked out because you think there’s something wrong. And there is. There’s something wrong. And it’s not Ava. It’s not the whole situation with Ava. It’s you.”
Caleb: “Me?”
Nathan: “Yeah. You’re freaked out because you’re at the center of this. The only reason you’re here is because I chose you. I invited you here because you’re a specific type. And you know what? I needed someone who was really good at coding, really good at algorithms, and someone who would think outside the box, but also someone who was a bit of a loner. Someone who wasn’t in a relationship, and not going to get a bunch of people worried if they went missing for a week. A guy who is… floating a bit.”
It appears that making Caleb an orphan invoked stereotypes about orphan characters being vulnerable, lonely, and easy to manipulate.
This falls in line with the stereotype that all adoptees struggle with mental health and fitting in socially.
These traits also relate to the “forever children” trope, where adoptees, orphans, and former foster youth are are portrayed from the perspective of adoptive parents, who, intentionally or unintentionally, infantilize them.
Analysis: At some points in the film, the rich and powerful CEO character, Nathan Bateman is portrayed as an abusive parental figure. He creates artificially intelligent potentially sentient machines that are indistinguishable from humans. He traps them in his home. Subjects them to various forms of abuse and isolation. Destroys / kills them at will.
Even before they meet, Caleb is starstruck and in awe of Nathan. There is a massive difference in their power dynamic, even though the characters are totally isolated from the world.
Caleb looks up to Nathan and talks highly of him, reluctant to see anything evil in his nature.
By making Caleb an orphan, the filmmakers emphasize the power dynamic between the two characters, and parallel the conceptual parent / child dynamic of Nathan and his machines.
Eva escaping the facility where Nathan created and “raised” her represents a child achieving independence from their parent(s).
Note on language: The word “*chosen” in the above dialogue is significant within the adoption community. It’s a word often used interchangeably with “adopted.” Caleb being an orphan who was “chosen” by a rich and powerful man he looks up to enforces Nathan’s character as a “father figure.”
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