The Christmas Dream Review: Thailand's Pioneering Stage-to-Screen Spectacle in Half a Century Delivers a Heavy Dose of Heartfelt Pageantry.
Reportedly the first Thai musical in half a century, The Christmas Dream comes under the direction of Englishman Paul Spurrier and offers up a fascinating mixture of modern and traditional elements. It functions as a contemporary rags-to-riches tale that travels from the hills of the north to the urban sprawl of Bangkok, adorned with vintage, vibrant aesthetics and an abundance of heartstring-tugging show-stopping numbers. The music and lyrics are crafted by Spurrier, set to an orchestral score composed by Mickey Wongsathapornpat.
A Journey of Innocence and Ethics
Portrayed with a steely resolve but in a more diminutive package, young actress Amata Masmalai plays Lek, a pre-teen schoolgirl. She is forced to escape after her abusive stepfather Nin (portrayed by Vithaya Pansringarm) brutally kills her mother. Venturing forth with only her disabled toy Bella for companionship, Lek relies on a strong moral compass, directed toward a new home by the ghost of her deceased mother. Her quest is populated by a cast of colorful companions who test her resolve, including a pampered rich girl in dire need of a companion and a charlatan physician peddling dubious remedies.
The director's love of the song-and-dance format is plain to see – or, to be precise, it is resplendent. The early countryside sequences in particular capture the warm, vibrant feel reminiscent of The Sound of Music.
Visual and Choreographic Pizzazz
The dance routines often possesses a quickstep visual energy. A memorable highlight breaks out on a financial district campus, which acts as Lek's introduction to the Bangkok rat race. With suited professionals cartwheeling in and out of a great clockwork cortege, this stands as the singular moment where The Christmas Dream touches upon the stylized complexity found in golden-age musical cinema.
Story and Song Shortcomings
Although richly orchestrated, much of the score is too anodyne both in melody and lyrics. Rather than studding songs at key dramatic moments, Spurrier saturates the film with them, seemingly trying to mask a somewhat weak storyline. Only during 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 overly simple and saccharine journey.
Fleeting glimmers of gentle class satire, such as when Lek's sudden good fortune attracts greedy locals swarming her, are hardly enough for more mature audiences. Young children could buy into the general positive outlook, the exotic setting fails to disguise a underlying sense of blandness.
