Overview
A timeless journey through centuries of identity and transformation awaits.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- witty
- whimsical
- playful
- arthouse film night
- literary adaptation night
What critics said
Critics broadly admire the film's visual beauty, playful Woolf adaptation, and Tilda Swinton's performance, while finding its narrative less substantial than its design.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Orlando changes sex while continuing through centuries of British society and relationships.
The film is explicitly associated with breaking the fourth wall and presents Orlando with playful self-consciousness.
Orlando remains young while moving through several centuries of English history and varied lives.
The production's visual delights and Oscar-nominated art direction and costume design emphasize changing historical worlds.
Films like Orlando, and why
The Favourite
playful literary fantasy, gender fluidity, and centuries-spanning identity exploration
The Green Knight
stylized period storytelling, gender politics, and visually elaborate historical fantasy
The Hours
literary adaptation with magical realism, shifting identity, and intimate historical relationships
The Danish Girl
androgynous central performance, theatrical formal play, and queer historical romance
Movie Details
- Director
- Sally Potter
- Release Date
- 1992-12-11
- Runtime
- 94 min
- Rating
- 6.9 / 10 (408)
Cast
- Tilda Swinton
- Billy Zane
- Lothaire Bluteau
- John Wood
- Charlotte Valandrey
- Heathcote Williams
- Quentin Crisp
- Peter Eyre
- Thom Hoffman
- Kathryn Hunter
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Orlando about?
- A centuries-spanning British fantasy follows an ageless noble whose transformation across sex, love, and history becomes a witty meditation on identity and freedom.
- What is Orlando like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Orlando as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Orlando violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Orlando.
- What did critics think of Orlando?
- Critics broadly admire the film's visual beauty, playful Woolf adaptation, and Tilda Swinton's performance, while finding its narrative less substantial than its design.
- Which films are like Orlando?
- Films with a similar feel include The Favourite, The Green Knight, The Hours, and The Danish Girl.
- How long is Orlando?
- Orlando runs 94 minutes.
- Where can I watch Orlando?
- In United States, Orlando is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
