Boarding school life has never been an enjoyable experience as you have to be far away from your home, be separated from your beloved parents and be surrounded by an unfamiliar environment. In this movie, there is no exception for a main character, a boy who was sent to boarding school in a middle of an academic year. Felling misery and abandoned, he befriended with a mysterious boy who stayed in the same dormitory with him.
In Thailand, the movie had been promoted as a scary movie. All promotional materials including movie teasers and trailers led everyone to think that way even though there had never been any exact clue from the director. There was only the speculation from an on-line community of what the movie will be like before it was released.
*** The following part of the comment contains spoiler. Please do not read further, if you want to be surprised.***
The movie-goers walked into the theater expecting to fear and scream from numerous scary scenes as shown in the trailers. The director didn't fail them in the first half of the movie, as there were enough scary elements that played with emotion of the audiences through a skillful cinematography. However, once the main plot was revealed in the second half of the movie, "Dek Hor" transformed itself from a scary movie into a coming-of-age drama which emphasized on a friendship between the main character and a lonely spirit that was doomed to haunt in the dorm. Yes, there was actually a "ghost" in this movie but not a scary type. In fact, the spirit was a former student whom was left to die in the pool because of friends' misunderstanding. The main character and the spirit shared the same feeling of loneliness and ignorance from the world around them. This might be the reason why the main character is the only person who could see the spirit. In the end, this estranged friendship teaches both the main character and the audiences how a person could go beyond one's limit to help the one he cared of.
Charlie "Nak" Trairat, a young actor who starred a leading role in an critically acclaimed nostalgia Thai movie called "Fan Chan" ("My Girl") two years ago, made his comeback as a main character in this movie to work with his familiar director, Songyos "Yong" Sugmakanan one of six co-directors from "Fan Chan." The director told a story from his own childhood experience of years in boarding school and added up some spices of horror to create this drama/thriller movie. Moreover, former superstar Jintara "Mam" Sukkhaphat (or Chintara Sukapatana, depending on how you spell her Thai name, who used to star with Robin Williams in the 1987 movie called "Good Morning, Vietnam") also joined the cast in the role of a dormitory mentor. In fact, this is a reunion of Jintara with Charlie who both stared in a Thai movie called "Karnlakrung Nueng Muea Chao Nee" ("Once Upon a Time ... This Morning") a decade ago when Charlie was only one year old. There is also a noticeable new-comer in this movie. Another young actor, Sirachuch "Michael" Chienthaworn who is not a new face for Thais as he used to star in a number of local TV soap operas, made his debut in the role of a lonely spirit. He did a great job in this challenging supporting role.
All in all, I enjoyed the movie, even though the ending is too predictable. The change of genres of the movie, intentional or not, is an element of surprise in this movie. At least, it's unexpected to feel good after you realized that you came to the theater for a horror movie but ended up watching a drama.
In Thailand, the movie had been promoted as a scary movie. All promotional materials including movie teasers and trailers led everyone to think that way even though there had never been any exact clue from the director. There was only the speculation from an on-line community of what the movie will be like before it was released.
*** The following part of the comment contains spoiler. Please do not read further, if you want to be surprised.***
The movie-goers walked into the theater expecting to fear and scream from numerous scary scenes as shown in the trailers. The director didn't fail them in the first half of the movie, as there were enough scary elements that played with emotion of the audiences through a skillful cinematography. However, once the main plot was revealed in the second half of the movie, "Dek Hor" transformed itself from a scary movie into a coming-of-age drama which emphasized on a friendship between the main character and a lonely spirit that was doomed to haunt in the dorm. Yes, there was actually a "ghost" in this movie but not a scary type. In fact, the spirit was a former student whom was left to die in the pool because of friends' misunderstanding. The main character and the spirit shared the same feeling of loneliness and ignorance from the world around them. This might be the reason why the main character is the only person who could see the spirit. In the end, this estranged friendship teaches both the main character and the audiences how a person could go beyond one's limit to help the one he cared of.
Charlie "Nak" Trairat, a young actor who starred a leading role in an critically acclaimed nostalgia Thai movie called "Fan Chan" ("My Girl") two years ago, made his comeback as a main character in this movie to work with his familiar director, Songyos "Yong" Sugmakanan one of six co-directors from "Fan Chan." The director told a story from his own childhood experience of years in boarding school and added up some spices of horror to create this drama/thriller movie. Moreover, former superstar Jintara "Mam" Sukkhaphat (or Chintara Sukapatana, depending on how you spell her Thai name, who used to star with Robin Williams in the 1987 movie called "Good Morning, Vietnam") also joined the cast in the role of a dormitory mentor. In fact, this is a reunion of Jintara with Charlie who both stared in a Thai movie called "Karnlakrung Nueng Muea Chao Nee" ("Once Upon a Time ... This Morning") a decade ago when Charlie was only one year old. There is also a noticeable new-comer in this movie. Another young actor, Sirachuch "Michael" Chienthaworn who is not a new face for Thais as he used to star in a number of local TV soap operas, made his debut in the role of a lonely spirit. He did a great job in this challenging supporting role.
All in all, I enjoyed the movie, even though the ending is too predictable. The change of genres of the movie, intentional or not, is an element of surprise in this movie. At least, it's unexpected to feel good after you realized that you came to the theater for a horror movie but ended up watching a drama.