The Christmas Dream Musical Analysis: Thailand's First 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 is directed by Englishman Paul Spurrier and presents a curious blend of modern and traditional elements. It functions as a contemporary rags-to-riches tale that journeys from the hills of the north to the urban sprawl of Bangkok, featuring vintage, vibrant aesthetics and plenty of emotionally rich musical highlights. The music and lyrics are crafted by Spurrier, set to an orchestral score from Mickey Wongsathapornpat.
A Journey of Hope and Morality
Exhibiting a Michelle Yeoh-like resolve but in a more diminutive frame, Amata Masmalai takes on the role of Lek, a pre-teen schoolgirl. She is compelled to flee after her violent 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 unyielding sense of right and wrong, promised toward a new home by the ghost of her deceased mother. Her quest is populated by a series of colorful companions who challenge her principles, among them a spoiled rich girl in dire need of a companion and a quack doctor peddling dubious remedies.
Spurrier's affection for the song-and-dance format is abundantly clear – or, more accurately, it is resplendent. The early countryside sequences especially capture the ruddy glow reminiscent of The Sound of Music.
Visual and Choreographic Flair
The dance routines frequently has a lively snap and pace. A particular standout breaks out on a financial district campus, which serves as Lek's introduction to the Bangkok corporate grind. With suited professionals cartwheeling in and out of a large clockwork cortege, this stands as the singular moment where The Christmas Dream approaches the stylized complexity characteristic of golden-age musical cinema.
Story and Song Limitations
Although lavishly orchestrated, a lot of the music is excessively bland musically and lyrically. Rather than strategically placing songs at key dramatic moments, Spurrier saturates the film with them, seemingly overcompensating for a somewhat weak storyline. Only during the start and finish – with the mother's death and when her spirits wane in Bangkok – is there enough challenge to offset an otherwise straightforward and sweet narrative arc.
Fleeting hints of mild class satire, such as when Lek's stroke of luck attracts greedy locals swarming her, are unlikely to satisfy older audiences. Young children might embrace the general positive outlook, the exotic backdrop cannot conceal a fundamentally sense of blandness.
