The Orphanage (2007) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Tomás is the ghost of Benigna's deformed son, who died tragically at the orphanage years earlier. The children at the orphanage murdered him accidentally during a game, and his mother Benigna, who worked there, never recovered from the loss. His spirit has remained at the orphanage, appearing to Simón wearing the same sack mask he wore in life.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Simón sketches a boy with a distinctive sack mask, which directly matches the ghost's appearance.

• tomas ghost
• sack mask boy
• benigna son
• orphanage children

Simón dies from a fall down the basement stairs. When Laura barricaded the metal poles leading to the basement to keep out the spirits, she inadvertently trapped Simón inside. That night, he fell down the stairs while wearing Tomás's mask and died from his injuries. The noise Laura heard from the walls was Simón's fatal fall.

Foreshadowing: Simón repeatedly claims Tomás told him he is fated to die, foreshadowing his tragic death.

• simon death
• basement stairs
• falling
• causa de muerte

After Laura learns from the medium Aurora that she is near death and can see the dead, she attempts to protect herself and Simón from the hostile spirits haunting the orphanage. She bars the basement entrance believing it would keep the ghosts out. However, this protective measure ironically traps Simón inside, leading to his death when he cannot escape.

Foreshadowing: The medium warns Laura she is close to death, prompting her desperate attempt at protection.

• metal poles
• basement barricade
• protection
• spirits

Tomás was Benigna's son who was born with deformities and lived at the orphanage with her. He was accidentally killed by the other children at the orphanage during a game many years before the story takes place. This traumatic event drove Benigna to obsession, and she later worked as a social worker to be near children, eventually targeting Simón.

Foreshadowing: Pilar shows Laura a photograph of young Benigna with her deformed son, revealing her connection to the orphanage.

• benigna
• tomas death
• orphanage children
• accident

The game involves hiding personal belongings and trying to recover them. The player who recovers their last possession earns a wish. This was the same game the orphanage children played when they accidentally killed Tomás. The game serves as both a connection to Tomás's past and a metaphor for the children's souls being trapped at the orphanage.

Foreshadowing: Simón's adoption file goes missing during the game, symbolizing loss and the unfulfilled wishes of the dead children.

• scavenger hunt
• hiding game
• wish
• Tomas game

Yes, Simón is adopted. When Benigna the social worker visits, she brings Simón's adoption file, which angers Laura. Later, Simón tells Laura that Tomás revealed to him that Laura isn't his real mother and that he is fated to die. This revelation adds to the emotional turmoil between Laura and Simón.

Foreshadowing: Benigna's intrusion with the adoption file establishes Simón's adoption early in the story.

• simon adopted
• adoption file
• real mother

The medium Aurora tells Laura that she is very close to death herself, which is why she will be able to see those who have passed away. This near-death state allows Laura to perceive the ghosts of dead children and ultimately find Simón in the basement. The medium's prediction proves tragically accurate.

Foreshadowing: Aurora's warning about Laura's imminent death sets up the film's tragic conclusion.

• aurora medium
• near death
• seeing ghosts
• prediction

After discovering Simón's dead body in the basement, Laura is consumed by grief and despair. She swallows a cache of pills in a desperate attempt to join her son in death, believing she can reunite with him through death. This suicide scene shows her being surrounded by the spirits of deceased children who grant her wish to be with Simón.

Foreshadowing: Laura's earlier near-death experience with sedatives foreshadows her final act.

• laura death
• pills
• suicide
• reunion

The ending reveals that Laura and Simón have both died. Carlos returns to the orphanage and finds their gravestones, confirming they perished. When he looks up to see Laura and Simón in the doorway, it is implied he is seeing their ghosts or that the entire family is now together in death, similar to the other spirits haunting the orphanage.

Foreshadowing: Carlos finds the medallion he gave Laura on the floor, a symbol of their love that remains after their death.

• carlos ending
• ghosts
• reunion
• graveyard

While Benigna was obsessed with children due to losing her son Tomás, the police investigation reveals she did not directly kidnap Simón. Instead, Simón likely followed the ghost of Tomás into the basement and became trapped there. Benigna died early in the investigation when she was hit by an ambulance, and the stroller Laura found contained only a doll wearing Tomás's mask.

Foreshadowing: The police psychologist suggests Benigna may have abducted Simón, but the truth is more tragic.

• benigna kidnapping
• stroller
• doll
• police investigation