The Christmas Dream Musical Review: Thailand's First Stage-to-Screen Spectacle in Half a Century Is Big On Sentimental Spectacle.
Reportedly the initial musical production from Thailand in half a century, The Christmas Dream is directed by British filmmaker Paul Spurrier and presents a curious blend of modern and traditional elements. The film serves as a contemporary rags-to-riches tale that journeys from the northern highlands to the bustling capital of Bangkok, adorned with vintage, vibrant aesthetics and an abundance of emotionally rich show-stopping numbers. Its songs are crafted by Spurrier, accompanied by an symphonic soundtrack from Mickey Wongsathapornpat.
A Journey of Innocence and Ethics
Exhibiting 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 (played by Vithaya Pansringarm) fatally assaults her mother. Venturing forth with only her one-legged doll Bella for company, Lek is guided by a strong moral compass, promised toward a new home by the spirit of her deceased mother. Her path is peppered with a series of picaresque characters who challenge her principles, including a spoiled rich girl in dire need of a true friend and a quack doctor peddling questionable miracle cures.
The director's love of the song-and-dance format is plain to see – or, to be precise, it is resplendent. The early rural sequences in particular capture the warm, vibrant feel reminiscent of The Sound of Music.
Dance and Cinematic Flair
The dance routines often possesses a lively snap and pace. A particular standout erupts on a corporate business park, which serves as Lek's first taste of the Bangkok corporate grind. With business executives cartwheeling in and out of a large mechanical cortege, this represents the singular moment where The Christmas Dream touches upon the abstract sophistication found in golden-age musical cinema.
Story and Song Limitations
Although lavishly orchestrated, much of the music is excessively anodyne both in melody and lyrics. Rather than strategically placing songs at key dramatic moments, Spurrier douses the film with them, seemingly overcompensating for a underdeveloped storyline. Only during the start and finish – with the tragedy of Lek's mother and when her hope falters in Bangkok – is there enough hardship to offset an overly simple and sweet narrative arc.
Fleeting glimmers of gentle social commentary, such as when Lek's stroke of luck attracts greedy locals swarming her, are hardly enough for older viewers. While could buy into the pervasive optimism, the foreign setting cannot conceal a fundamentally sense of blandness.
