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You won't be disappointed!

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

It was 25 years ago and Adrian Cronauer had a thing for Trinh. The movie was, of course, Good Morning Vietnam. Here she is, much older. Who would have guessed they cast a Thai in the role of a Vietnamese woman. At least Chintara Sukapatana has the opportunity to be more than eye candy this time.Some may have grabbed this film expecting a horror film or, at the very least a ghost story. You will be disappointed, as it is more of a coming- of-age tale.The young cast is very good, and Chintara Sukapatana is brilliant as the teacher.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I love to watch horror movies but I always dread how they end because most horror movies end with a scary 'it's after you now!' kind of ending. Although this film was listed as horror, I would definitely not categorize it as such. I loved the plot, I just wish it wasn't claiming to be a horror movie. It started off creepy with not even the audience knowing what was going on, as horror movies do, but it came to a peaceful ending with the poor drowned boy finding his resolution as the main character, Ton Chatree, makes peace with his family and especially his father. I very much enjoyed this movie. The only thing that could raise it to a 10 out of 10 would be if the ending had resolved all of the conflicts brought up, rather than just the most important ones. The two other conflicts being that Vichien wasn't the only person who had died on the campus, the cook's pregnant daughter also died, but that wasn't addressed after the beginning. The other conflict was that it was clear Vichien didn't drown by accident, it looked like someone was pulling his right foot down into the water causing him to drown. If this movie was correctly labeled not as a horror movie, and if it wasn't set up as a horror movie in the beginning and then turning into a drama movie instead, this movie would be a lot better.

Sorry. I love suspenseful intriguing ghost stories, but this film did not contain a single chilling moment. I kept waiting for the film to become worthy of its higher ratings on this site. The sexist portrayals of females only as nurturers of boys or sex objects for males did nothing to change my mind about the quality of the film. We have Mama and the school mistress to nurture the boys, while all the other females in the film are just male sexual fantasy fodder without personalities. The music sounds like a lame video game soundtrack. The only good things I can say about this film is that the plot was mildly interesting and the acting surprisingly good. But not good enough to recommend to others, except perhaps preadolescents with liberal parents who don't mind some tame female breast exposure.

Throughout the history of Asian horror many film makers have tried their hand at the sensitive ghost story. And the genre has been done with varying degrees of success. With Dorm, Director Songyos Sugmakanan elevates the genre to pinnacle not yet reached by previous attempts, creating a film that is simultaneously tragic, and creepy.Dorm tells the story of Chatree, a twelve year old with family issues, who begins the seventh grade at a new boarding school. The school itself is depressingly creepy, and is run by a ambiguously macabre teacher named Ms. Pranee. Chatree soon becomes bully fodder for the other students, until he meets Vichien, another boy with similar problems. As the two become close friends, Chatree finds himself drawing nearer to a dark and terrifying secret.The secret of Dorm's success is how seamlessly Sugmakanan juggles the creepy atmospheric vibes that are typical of Asian horror, with the tragedy of Asian dramas. One of the films creepiest -and tragic- qualities is the school itself. The sterile shots of the dormitories, dining halls, pools, and washrooms help reflect the films feelings of alienation and loneliness. Feelings that all twelve year old boys with displacement issues would be familiar with, and are represented well under Niramon Ross' expert cinematography.Along with the cinematography the film features an excellent (and subdued) score. It features slow moving orchestral pieces and haunting piano ballads. Although, this is typical of the genre, the score helps to heighten the films dramatic sense.Couple those qualities mentioned above with Charlie Trairat's nuanced portrayal of Chantree, and you've got yourself a damn good film. In fact, you'd be troubled to find fault with any of the actors in this film. Which is saying a lot when most of your cast is young boys. And it's not just the kids that hold their weight as thespians, Chintara Sukapatana is excellent(if not sadly underdeveloped) as the scarily sympathetic Ms. Pranee.To be truthful, while Dorm does have it's strength's it also has it's share of weaknesses. The films first 45 minutes are incredible and touches on the universal themes of childhood fear and angst. Then the film slows down to a snails pace and doesn't come back strong until the last 20 or so minutes. Also, the film has it's share of Asian ghost story cliché's but... that being said, it remains original enough in it's initial premise and delivery that the good qualities outweigh the bad.Bottom Line- Dorm is a well done sensitive ghost story with brilliant cinematography, acting, and score. While it does have it's clichés and faults, the premise and delivery far outweigh the faults.