'Orphan' Review: László Nemes' Period Epic Is Slow as Molasses

Immaculate and inert, "Orphan" plays like a Spruce Goose power ballad too leaden to lift. Premiering at the Venice Film Festival, László Nemes' period epic glows with honey and moves like molasses, opening a gilded (and glacial) window into 1950s Budapest, impressing by scale and scope while leaving little else to latch onto. All the same, the film marks a curious change of pace for our youngest Old Master – a one-time Béla Tarr protégé who emerged fully formed and out of nowhere, announcing himself as a formidable talent with his feature debut, "Son of Saul." That 2015 . . .