MovieChat Forums > El orfanato (2008) Discussion > What did Laura find in the cabinet in th...

What did Laura find in the cabinet in the shed?


When Laura followed Benigna into the shed she was doing something with a shovel, but subsequently ran away into the night. Later, when Laura was following the "clues," she pried the wooden door (on a tile cabinet in the shed) open and pulled out the bags full of bone fragments and either ashes or quick lime. The authorities were summoned, but no further information was given. Were those the bodies of the children? No mention was made about children disappearing from the Orphanage. Were they Benigna's poison victims? Was the shed actually a crematorium? What am I missing?




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I'm sure those were the bodies of the chilren from the orphanage. One can clearly see a prostheses among the bones, just like the one that one of the orphans was wearing. But how the bones had found their way into the bags, remains a question for myself.


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Thank you for responding. I guess it isn't just me "missing something." It is a bit of a plot hole...probably due to something being left out of the final cut.

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No police report of missing children 30 years ago? Benigna was not the only staff member. Why would it be kept a secret?

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Reading between the lines, perhaps there was a police report and it was an unresolved mystery.

In this case Benigna put the children's bodies in bags and hid them.

Another possibility is that when 5 children suddenly got sick and died without any explanation, the other staff did not want this to go public and unduly reflect on their institution and their care of the children. So Benigna and the other staff hid the problem. Then Benigna left her employment supposedly out of being so disturbed about the children's deaths.

In both cases there could be a police report 30 years ago and it was unresolved, but it was not necessary to mention in the movie.

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