DORM - DVD review

Summer vacation is winding down and boys everywhere look forward to returning to school. Not so much for the lessons, studying, and homework, but mostly for the chance to see their friends again. One boy, Chatree (Charlie Trairat), nicknamed Ton, isn't so fortunate. Believing the boy's public school education is lacking, Ton's father ships him off to boarding school. Already unhappy, Ton isn't exactly reassured when he's greeted by the school's headmistress, Miss Pranee (Jintara Sukaphatana) and her cold and distant demeanor. Like sharks eyeing fresh meat, the other schoolboys lick their chops as they get ready to sink their teeth into Ton.

During his first night in the dormitory, Ton's fellow students, lead by a bigger boy named Master Peng, sit around Ton and tell him campfire ghost stories. They tell Ton about the daughter of the school's cook who hung herself from a tree in the yard. More importantly, they tell him about a boy who drowned in the pool. His death deeply affected Miss Pranee and is the origin of her frigid manner and further odd behavior. She sits alone in her office, staring into an empty drawer, and listening to the same record over and over again. The kicker to this tale, Ton is sleeping in the bed that belonged to that very boy.

Scared witless, Ton wets his bed and finds himself the target of everyone's taunts. All is not lost as Ton is befriended by another lonely boy, Vichien (Sirachuch Chienthaworn). Vichien watches over Ton and gives him advice on how to survive boarding school. If you haven't guessed where this story is going and who Vichien is, then I've got some lucrative investments in Nigeria I'd like to discuss with you.

I was pleasantly surprised by "Dorm." Despite the marketing and cover art, "Dorm" isn't your typical, run-of-the-mill Asian horror film. In fact, it's not really a horror film; instead it's a coming-of-age tale. "Dorm" is a kindred spirit to Guillermo Del Toro's "The Devil's Backbone" with a hint of "Stand By Me." Rather than ripping off "The Sixth Sense", the revelation of Vichien being a ghost doesn't come at the conclusion of the film, but at just before the midpoint. The true meat of the story is the developing friendship between Ton and Vichien. As Ton remarks, the common thread tying them together is that they are two boys nobody cares about. Vichien shares his dirty magazines with Ton and helps him sneak off campus to frolic in the nearby town.

It's at this point in the film that "Dorm" shakes off its eerie and somber tone with a more heartwarming one, full of deliciously dark and off-beat humor. While playing a videogame together, Vichien jokes about Ton dying. In another scene, a boy nicknamed Dr. Nui (an oddball himself) is fascinated by Ton being able to see a ghost. Nui talks up the subject until his father picks him up. Turns out Nui's father delivers caskets and he drives in with one in the back of a pickup truck. Nui hops in and straddles the casket, gleefully waving, "Goodbye." However, the tone of the film veers back towards the darkness when Ton discovers that Vichien is doomed to reenact the circumstances of his death every night.

"Dorm" takes a turn into cliché country when it deals with the restless spirit must be brought peace plot thread. Everything gets tied up into a neat, little bow a bit too easily. The most interesting sections of the film were the scenes involving the budding friendship of Ton and Vichien. A boy and his dog, we've seen plenty of times. A boy and his ghost is new territory and should have been explored more thoroughly.

The film is the debut solo effort for writer/director Songyos Sugmakanan, who previously co-directed the comedy, "My Girl." Sugmakanan taps into his days at a boarding school to authenticate the uneasiness and downright spookiness of the school through the eyes of Ton. "Dorm" was a big hit in its native Thailand and scored the Glass Bear and Special Mention awards at the Berlin International Film Festival.

VIDEO:
The video is presented in anamorphic widescreen with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The transfer is pretty clean, but the colors are come off as flat and pale. There are also dark edges around some of the scenes leaving the picture a bit murky.

AUDIO:
The audio is presented in two tracks Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1. Both tracks are in the film's original Thai language with optional English and Spanish subtitles.

EXTRAS:
The DVD features an audio commentary track with writer/director Songyos Sugmakanan who is joined by Thai film critics, Ajarn Daeng, Kriangsak Suwannapokin.

Also included are a number of extras such as, The Making of Dorm, a brief featurette with footage of the shooting of the film.

Behind the Scenes is more substantial and features interviews with the cast and crew as they discuss shooting the movie.

Below the Pool is a step-by-step look at the special effects used for the film. The featurette looks at the storyboards, rough footage, and computer effects.

Character Introductions mixes footage from the film with interviews with the director and cast. This featurette focuses more on the actors as they discuss who their characters are.

Rounding out the extras are a collection of deleted scenes with optional commentary from the director and the film's original theatrical trailer.

FILM VALUE:
I breathed a sigh of relief when I realized "Dorm" wasn't going to be another ghost girl with long, black hair stalks an assortment of victims movie. I enjoyed the coming-of-age story and only wished it had played a more substantial role in the film. There were touching moments of friendship and humor that were lost in the overly long setup and the pedestrian ending.