🔗 Share this article The Christmas Dream Review: Thailand's Pioneering Musical in Decades Is Big On Sentimental Spectacle. Reportedly the first Thai musical in five decades, The Christmas Dream comes under the direction of Englishman Paul Spurrier and presents a fascinating mixture of modern and traditional elements. The film serves as a modern-day rags-to-riches tale that travels from the northern highlands to the bustling capital of Bangkok, featuring old-school Technicolor aesthetics and an abundance of heartstring-tugging show-stopping numbers. The music and lyrics are crafted by Spurrier, accompanied by an symphonic soundtrack from Mickey Wongsathapornpat. An Odyssey of Hope and Morality Exhibiting a steely resolve but in a more diminutive frame, young actress Amata Masmalai plays Lek, a ten-year-old schoolgirl. She is compelled to flee after her violent stepfather Nin (played by Vithaya Pansringarm) fatally assaults her mother. Venturing forth with only her disabled toy Bella for company, Lek is guided by a strong moral compass, directed toward a new home by the spirit of her late mum. Her path is peppered with a series of picaresque characters who challenge her principles, among them a spoiled rich girl in dire need of a companion and a quack doctor peddling questionable remedies. Spurrier's affection for the song-and-dance format is plain to see – or, more accurately, it is gloriously evident. Initial countryside sequences especially bottle the warm, vibrant feel reminiscent of The Sound of Music. Visual and Choreographic Pizzazz The choreography often possesses a quickstep visual energy. A memorable highlight erupts on a corporate business park, which acts as Lek's introduction to the Bangkok rat race. Featuring business executives cartwheeling in and out of a large clockwork cortege, this represents the one instance where The Christmas Dream approaches the stylized complexity characteristic of golden-age musical cinema. Musical and Narrative Shortcomings Although richly arranged, much of the music is too anodyne both in melody and lyrics. Rather than strategically placing songs at pivotal dramatic moments, Spurrier saturates the film with them, seemingly overcompensating for a somewhat weak narrative. Substantial adversity is present solely at the start and finish – with the tragedy of Lek's mother and when her spirits wane in Bangkok – is there sufficient challenge to balance an otherwise simple and sweet journey. Fleeting glimmers of gentle class satire, such as when Lek's sudden good fortune attracts greedy locals crawling all over her, are hardly enough for more mature viewers. Young children could buy into the general optimism, the exotic setting fails to disguise a underlying narrative blandness.
Reportedly the first Thai musical in five decades, The Christmas Dream comes under the direction of Englishman Paul Spurrier and presents a fascinating mixture of modern and traditional elements. The film serves as a modern-day rags-to-riches tale that travels from the northern highlands to the bustling capital of Bangkok, featuring old-school Technicolor aesthetics and an abundance of heartstring-tugging show-stopping numbers. The music and lyrics are crafted by Spurrier, accompanied by an symphonic soundtrack from Mickey Wongsathapornpat. An Odyssey of Hope and Morality Exhibiting a steely resolve but in a more diminutive frame, young actress Amata Masmalai plays Lek, a ten-year-old schoolgirl. She is compelled to flee after her violent stepfather Nin (played by Vithaya Pansringarm) fatally assaults her mother. Venturing forth with only her disabled toy Bella for company, Lek is guided by a strong moral compass, directed toward a new home by the spirit of her late mum. Her path is peppered with a series of picaresque characters who challenge her principles, among them a spoiled rich girl in dire need of a companion and a quack doctor peddling questionable remedies. Spurrier's affection for the song-and-dance format is plain to see – or, more accurately, it is gloriously evident. Initial countryside sequences especially bottle the warm, vibrant feel reminiscent of The Sound of Music. Visual and Choreographic Pizzazz The choreography often possesses a quickstep visual energy. A memorable highlight erupts on a corporate business park, which acts as Lek's introduction to the Bangkok rat race. Featuring business executives cartwheeling in and out of a large clockwork cortege, this represents the one instance where The Christmas Dream approaches the stylized complexity characteristic of golden-age musical cinema. Musical and Narrative Shortcomings Although richly arranged, much of the music is too anodyne both in melody and lyrics. Rather than strategically placing songs at pivotal dramatic moments, Spurrier saturates the film with them, seemingly overcompensating for a somewhat weak narrative. Substantial adversity is present solely at the start and finish – with the tragedy of Lek's mother and when her spirits wane in Bangkok – is there sufficient challenge to balance an otherwise simple and sweet journey. Fleeting glimmers of gentle class satire, such as when Lek's sudden good fortune attracts greedy locals crawling all over her, are hardly enough for more mature viewers. Young children could buy into the general optimism, the exotic setting fails to disguise a underlying narrative blandness.