Boarding School (2018) Reviews

• Weird but Worthwhile Watching

  claudio_carvalho2018-09-15

  The boy Jacob Felsen (Luke Prael) lives with his mother and stepfather and has frequent nightmares. He is bullied at school and when his unknown grandmother dies, Jacob attends the funeral and becomes attracted to her, wearing her clothes and listening to her records. When his stepfather sees Jacob wearing his grandmother dress, his wife and him decide to send Jacob to a boarding school for outcasts and misfits in a creepy mansion in the middle of nowhere. Jacob is introduced to the principal and teacher, Dr. Sherman (Will Patton) and his wife Mrs. Sherman (Tammy Blanchard), and soon he meets his six other mates. Along the days, Jacob befriends them and together with the young Christine (Sterling Jerins), they note that something strange is happening in the school. What will they do to survive? 'Boarding School" is a weird but worthwhile watching psychological horror film. The locations are creepy and the young cast has great performance. The pace is slow but builds tension and the last minutes are intense with many plot points. The conclusion is great. My vote is six. Title (Brazil): Not Available

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• A surprisingly thoughtful, well-executed thrill movie

  nehpetstephen2018-09-01

  This film makes the most of a modest budget. I watched it well aware that it had received fairly horrible reviews from most film critics, expecting to turn it off after a few minutes. I was surprised to find a film with such an air of specificity to its details. There are actual layers to what goes on in this film, and actual depth to the character development and performances. Although the plot does indulge in the heightened excesses of its horror genre (at times it seemed to be keyed in at the level of a fairy tale, a point which is nodded to in the screenplay), the majority of this film maintains an admirable level of meaningful, lived-in realism, tackling everything from generational trauma to parental disappointment to bullying to gender identity and more in a nuanced and intriguing way. I guess what I'm saying is that so many low budget horror movies are full of hackneyed tropes, pitiful jump scares, predictable twists, and dialogue that was clearly typed by a screenwriter onto a page and then read aloud by an actor. This movie, however, is refreshingly vibrant in addition to being highly entertaining. The camerawork is likewise skillful, and although I wouldn't say this movie is actually scary--not by a long shot--it is quite suspenseful. Plus, I gotta give extra credit to any movie with the audacity to execute its action climax with its boy star wearing the costume that Luke Prael does here.

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• Surprise surprise!!!

  viggyjiggy2018-10-01

  U really couldn't guess where the movie is going until you finish it till the end.... Freaking beautiful executed and amazing cast... it's dark, coming of age, self realisation and little psychotic... totally worth a watch

• a coming-of-age story for social outcasts

  re-animatresse2018-10-07

  This film's trailer had me intrigued, with its sequences of what appeared to be a gender-nonconforming child being sent to an 'exclusive school, especially designed for unique young people like yourself'. Written and directed by, of all people, Boaz Yakin of Remember the Titans notoriety, Boarding School depicts a journey of self-discovery of its adolescent protagonist who, it's -strongly- hinted at, struggles with repressed feelings and uncertainty about their gender others apparently considered unique enough to be sent to the eponymous school are a child with Tourette's, a semi-verbal autistic child in need of a caregiver, and a male burn survivor named Phil, who incidentally is played by a female actor. None of the characters' 'uniquenesses' are ever identified by name, an interesting choice among many that lends itself to analysis and reflection the acting is really good all around, with a particularly outstanding performance by Luke Prael, assisted by a brilliant script and dialogue. The cinematography is masterfully executed and artistic, though not to the point of perplexing audiences, and every scene furthers the narrative. It's not bogged down with filler, and the pacing is consistent the horror element is layered: there's the physical violence depicted in the trailer, and the metaphorically portrayed systemic violence affecting its variegated cast of marginalised characters, which makes it profoundly relatable as both a transgender and autistic viewer after the movie ended, i wanted to watch it again immediately. It's an instant 10/10 from me, and i expect it will be my favorite film of 2018

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• Not A Slasher But Horror Nonetheless

  foutainoflife2018-10-23

  The situation is where the horror lies in this film. This is about a boy who is on the verge of entering his teen years and having some trouble with facing his fears and coming to terms with his identity after the death of a grandmother he never knew. This results in behavior that is distressing to his mother and stepfather and he is sent to a boarding school in an attempt to "fix" him. The school isn't what it seems and he, along with other misfits, try to understand what is going on around them as strange occurrences seem to happen more and more frequently. This is low budget but well done. The actors, especially our lead, did a fantastic job. The story is slightly shaky but I believe it could've been easily cleaned up with a better script. The camera work was well done with some really great shots deeper into the movie. For me, it seemed a bit long and it took a while for things to really get going but despite this, it held my attention throughout. This was a pleasant low budget surprise. It deserves a recommendation. Give it a chance.

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