What happened in the Orphan: First Kill?

Warning: This article contains major spoilers for Orphan: First Kill.The prequel movie Orphan: First Killtold the story of how Esther made it to America; here's what happens in the movie and what the ending really means. First Kill is the prequel to the 2009 horror Orphan which first introduced Esther, a creepy young girl that poses as an orphan for adoption but is actually a 33-year-old woman named Leena Klammer. A glandular issue meant that Leena didn't grow beyond her 12th birthday and has kept her youthful looks since. Returning to play the Orphan's villain, Isabelle Fuhrman is joined by a new cast of characters for Orphan: First Killto explore Leena's origin in greater detail and explain exactly how she created her Esther persona.

First Kill immediately introduces Leena as the most high-risk patient at an Estonian psychiatric facility. Using her intelligence and innocent looks, Leena escapes and goes on the run. To avoid getting caught, Leena searches the internet to find a missing child whose identity she can steal. Leena eventually finds the profile of Esther Albright, a young American girl who had been missing for four years, who is almost her perfect lookalike. Pretending to be Esther, Leena is met at the American Embassy in Moscow to be taken home by her "mother" Tricia Albright, played by Julia Stiles, known for her role as Nicky Parsons in the Jason Bourne series.

Esther's father, Allen, finds a new lease on life now that Esther has returned, but not everyone in Orphan: First Kill is so pleased. Esther's brother, Gunnar, is less welcoming to his long-lost sister and strangely doesn't stick up for her when his friends tease Esther's look. Leena struggles to pretend to be Esther and is paranoid about a detective who seems to be following her. Content with getting away while she can, Leena plans to rob the Albright family and run away, but her attraction to Allen keeps her there. The longer she poses as Esther, the stranger things get, leading to a huge twist that blows Orphan: First Kill wide open.

What Happens In Orphan: First Kill's Ending?

Penned by Walking Dead writer David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, Orphan: First Kill monumentally changes when it is revealed that Tricia and Gunnar Albright knew all along that Leena wasn't Esther. Tricia strikes a deal that Leena will continue to pose as Esther because it makes Allen happy to have his daughter back, if she refuses then Tricia would hand her over to the police. The pretense doesn't last long as Tricia attempts to poison Leena after she gets too close to Allen. In retaliation, Leena tries to push Tricia and Gunnar in front of a train but is foiled when she bumps into a stranger.

Wanting to end things once and for all, Tricia and Gunnar plan to kill Leena while Allen is away for business. The mother-son duo plan to make “Esther’s” death look like a suicide, but the youthful-looking Orphan villain wriggles free. With Tricia momentarily distracted, Leena finds herself facing off one-on-one with Gunnar and brutally kills her "brother" with a crossbow and fencing sword.

A devastated Tricia brawls with Leena in the kitchen, which leads to the house being set ablaze. The pair scuffle their way to the roof of the house to avoid the fire when a shocked Allen finally returns home. Tricia and Leena are clinging to the roof guttering when Allen runs up to help them, but he only has time to save one. Tricia tries to explain to Allen, played by Rossif Sutherland, half-brother of 24 star Kiefer Sutherland, that Leena is not really Esther. But confused, Allen tries to save what he thinks is his daughter and Tricia falls to her gruesome death. Believing she now has a chance at romance with Allen, Leena reveals that she is not Esther, which Allen reacts badly to, so Leena pushes him to his death and then walks out of the burning house as the only survivor.

Who Knows That Esther Is A Fake?

Only three characters in Orphan: First Kill know the true identity of the returning Esther Albright. Tricia and Gunnar both knew, but both played along because it made Allen happier and more productive now that he believes his girl is back. The third character is Inspector Donnan, the official who returned "Esther" to the Albright family but remains suspicious of her true identity and so observes her. Eventually, Donnan gets DNA proof that 24-year-old Isabelle Fuhrman’s de-aged "Esther" isn't the real Esther, but Leena kills him before he can tell anyone. Not wanting Leena's secret to get out, Tricia helps her dispose of Donnan's evidence and body, and the two strike a deal for Leena to continue to pose as Esther to keep Allen happy in the belief his daughter is home.

What Happened To The Real Esther?

The real Esther Albright was killed by her brother Gunnar in a tragic accident. Orphan: First Kill reveals that Gunnar often played too roughly with his younger sister, which eventually ended with fatal consequences. To protect her son, Tricia helped cover up Esther's death by claiming she went missing. All the while Allen was kept in the dark, so he truly believed that his daughter was out there somewhere, which explains his attachment to Leena's Esther when she flew over from Europe.

Why Does Esther Kill Allen?

Orphan's Leena is based on a true story, but her entire motivation for staying with the Albright family in First Kill was her attraction to Allen, so her impulsive decision to kill him was questionable. After Tricia fell to her death, Leena felt there was nothing standing in the way of her having a romantic relationship with Allen. The small hitch in her plan was that Allen still thought Leena was his daughter Esther. When Leena's dentures fall out, Tricia's final words start to make sense to Allen and he labels Leena a monster. With no future together, Leena decides to push Allen off of the roof to his death in her rage.

The Real Meaning Of Orphan: First Kill's Ending

Orphan: First Kill ends with Leena fully embracing life as Esther Albright. Although her motivation for doing so isn't outwardly explained, First Kill makes it clear that Leena would rather pose as Esther rather than go on the run from the Estonian authorities. The final scene of First Kill sets up a sequel for the Orphan horror movie franchise, as child therapist Dr. Segar explains that she has found the perfect family for the newly orphaned "Esther" to live with. As a prequel, Orphan: First Kill's ending does an excellent job of tying into the original Orphan movie and explaining how Leena's Esther persona was born.