The film follows the 15-year-old Qodrat (Qodratollah Qadiri), who at the beginning of the movie lives on the streets of 1989 Kabul and gets by on scalping cinema tickets and peddling key rings. After being picked up from the streets he is sent to the Soviet operated juvenile detention center known as "the orphanage". Here he is one of five new arrivals, along with 14-year-old Masihullah (Masihullah Feraji) and his 16-year-old nephew Fayez (Ahmad Fayaz Osmani) who are given regular meals, living quarters, a primary education. The audience is introduced to the inner life of the stony faced Qodrat in Bollywood-style dream sequences in which he is free to express his feelings for a girl in class or one of his close pals. Dorm-room power scuffles ensue, sometimes broken up by the director Anwar (Anwar Hashimi), who takes on a father-like role. Some of the boys are taken on an excursion to Moscow where they get to compete in chess with their fellow young comrades. This life is again upturned when teachers struggle to toe the line of the Mujahideen after the Soviets withdraw from Afghanistan.
This story is based on the unreleased diaries of Anwar Hashimi,[8] who played the role of the supervisor in the film. The director, Shahrbanoo Sadat,[9] was from the same village as Hashimi, therefore using his diaries felt personal for her as well. The characters, Sediqa and Qodrat, are based on them in both of the films.
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 91% based on 22 reviews.[15] Jay Weissberg of Variety magazine called The Orphanage a "clumsy Bollywood re-creation" that "add[s] significant flavor".[16]Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian, called the film "energetic and captivating drama".[17]Carlos Aguilar of Los Angeles Times, called the film, "an imperfect yet charming blend of Bollywood and Soviet Afghanistan."[18]
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