Dorm

Tartan's “Asia Extreme” series hardly seems the proper venue for this moody but oddly gentle coming-of-age tale from Thailand, revolving around a shy boy befriended by the ghost of a former student at a boarding school. Ton (Chalee Trairat) is a 13-year old who is abruptly enrolled by his stern father at a strict private academy in the middle of term. Initially teased by his classmates, Ton is happy to be accepted by the gregarious Vichai (Siranath Jiantahavorn)…until Ton discovers that his new pal is a student who drowned in the school's long-closed swimming pool a decade earlier—a death that still torments the boys' dorm master, who holds herself responsible. Dorm works more as a touching tale of friendship than as a horror flick (although the film does feature a particularly cool effect involving the spirit's constant repetition of his death). Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include an audio commentary by the director and cast members, “making-of” and behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, and text character profiles. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an atmospheric ghost story.] (F. Swietek)