User reviews

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.

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.

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

This is not your running around screaming getting slashed kind of horror movie - if it is a horror movie at all really. It certainly touches into the genre, but the story really crosses a lot of genre boundaries.

I found it compelling watching after the first five or ten minutes. You are not given all of the answers straight away - you have to wait - work it out for yourself - a gentle tease that keeps you glued to it.

The story is good, although there are a couple of parts that don't seem to fit very well initially, but make sense much later on.

The performances by the cast - especially the younger ones - is superb.

Well worth watching - but best suspend your expectations and enjoy the ride.

At once odd, uncomfortable, and compelling, BOARDING SCHOOL covers a gamut of dysfunction and does so with genuine panache. The whole production is downright weird in the very best possible way, and its 105-minute running time passes in a flash.

An ensemble of young actors portraying outcasts and misfits is the focus of this very good production. Each shows promise and brings something noteworthy to the film; however, one actor rises far above the others.

BOARDING SCHOOL is anchored by a courageous performance from young actor Luke Prael that commands the audience's attention from the jump and never loosens its grip.

Prael, approximately 14 years old at the time of principal photography, acts rings around older, more experienced cast members. He expertly presents a character that's complex and (in many ways and on many levels) ambiguous. On appearance alone, he could carry Wednesday Addams or Damien Thorn with equal effect, and his confident gender bending and perverse mystique are simultaneously magnetic and disquieting. Do we like him, fear him, empathize with him, or all of the above? People can decide for themselves, but one thing is clear: He's the best thing about a movie with a lot going for it.

That includes the script. The screenplay is well written, well plotted, original, and offers a comic sensibility that's as dark as they come. It also offers an offbeat subplot tied to the Holocaust that fits fairly well within the main story arc. Thankfully, writer/director Boaz Yakin exercises restraint in ensuring the subplot remains both relevant and present while not getting in the way of the main story. Simply put, it's an enhancement that, while perhaps not essential, is certainly interesting to have.

My only criticism of BOARDING SCHOOL is that it's sometimes somewhat uneven in tone. Elements of horror, comedy, drama, and mystery all are present and compete in a way that ocasionally rankles, but not to the detriment of the overall experience.

The big critics aren't fans of BOARDING SCHOOL, maybe because they seem to insist on classifying it strictly as a horror movie. It doesn't fit neatly into that box. They also misread queer subtext as explicit sexuality. It's not, and it makes one wonder if that's -- whether they know it or not -- their chief complaint.

I'm not sure what the critics wanted to see in this movie that isn't there, but this time what I don't see is their point of view.

I would not class this as a horror movie. More of a psychological thriller with horror elements. It is a strange little movie, with some good performances, but as with many films these days, doesn't explain itself well. I don't think I'm giving away a spoiler when I say a young boy has a fixation with his grandmother, it's in the promos, But this is not really expanded on enough in the movie to make sense of. He is sent to an exclusive Boarding School and things start being a bit weird. The finale scene I just found puzzling, as there had been very little other reference to it in the movie. The young lead and main character does an excellent job in a difficult role, and helps to carry this to above average.

This film is a very well done, well acted, and well written. It was great to see Will Patton and Samantha Mathis as the villainous antagonists, but the two huge standout performances to me were the young Luke Prael and Sterling Jerins. I recognized Sterling Jerins from the first two "Conjuring" films, but her role in those was much smaller in comparison to this film. It was nice to see her talents utilized in a bigger, more fleshed out role as the pretty but devious Christine. Luke was a great counterpart for her, even if his character's eccentricities weren't really explained more. I also would've like to see the oddly romantic friendship between the two of them expanded on. Despite these lacking points, "Boarding School" was a good horror/thriller movie and I hope it gets some sort of following in the future.

This is a horrish,slasherlike bloodgore movie based on deceift and lack of parental love. it is a school film,but bends of very fast to not to be.lots of madness and why did they do that-feeling hits me during the watching. the teenage cast are really good,some of the performances are brilliant ,but itis damaged by a poor screenplay.the filmography and editing saves some of the glory.,it is not a rewatch for me.

It could be better if it was directed better. It had a good story idea but it was horribly executed. The outcome was cheaper than a cheap show.

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

I have to say this was a very odd film. But I was blown away by two particular young actors: Nicholas J Oliveri and Christopher Dylan White. Never heard of either but extremely impressed by both. Luke Prael is very good too. But the only reason I am commenting at all on this film is because of awesome performance given by Nicholas and Christopher. You'll just have to watch it to see why,

This is quite an off the wall, oddity of a movie, that jumps all over the place storyline and tone wise, with terrible gimmicky cliche characters, doubly made weird by bad performances. It's a group of children that consists of a crossdressing boy, a sociopathic girl, a boy with (badly acted) tourettes, a really fat boy who is claimed to not be able to speak, but does a few times and nobody cares, and a set of twin boys who serve zero purpose in the film, forced to be in a retreat with some religious teacher. You get overacting performances, scenes that feel mildly wrong to be watching, scenes that force drama without feeling, plot points that render previous scenes nonsensical, oddly placed music, really bad camera cutaways due to lack of practical effects, it's just such a badly made film that it's enjoyable to watch through and laugh at the absurdity.

This is a remarkably done and elegantly delivered thriller, which is distinguishable by superb acting, splendid directing and - most importantly - an intriguing story that keeps you captured till the very end. As if all of this is not enough, Boarding School offers numerous extras that add a nice flavor to the film such as the themes of parental hatred, child loneliness and alienation, and allusions to the Holocaust; artistic depiction of the duality of good and evil; as well as a charming La Cumparsita tango score. Very enjoyable and entertaining indeed. A bit of advice to all US movie makers: try to find for a part of a Jewish character someone who looks at least remotely Jewish (this applies both to the boy and his mother).

Situations are unpredictable. It makes you think deeper. Different story that has lot to say and would open your mind to a different perspective. Totally psychological.

Cringe compilation too weird basic movie about nothing. This wasn't a horror movie...

Lets be honest, Boarding School was a nice experience! Had plenty to offer, starting from the surroundings, the mystery, the kids, pretty much everything was very nicely executed.

It was a nice surprise that came out of nowhere so for everyone out there considering to watch it or not, trust me, give it a shot! I had a pleasant time throughout its run time and it managed to surpass its premise as it progressed. Thus of course I am going to recommend it, also it reminded me a little of The Woods 2006 so I guess you could put an eye on that one too.

All in all Boarding School is a great way to watch a psychological horror that manages to intrigue and leave you satisfied.

Cheers!

It's slow and at times it loses interest, but it's not bad for a boring day

Boarding School feels like someones (probably the director's) personal or related story (reinvented while under heavy influence of various substances) translated into a film and supplemented with weird happenings.

It doesn't really feel like a focused story but rather like a mishmash of ideas and "disturbing imagery".

The ideas shown are somewhat connected but if you think about them too much it all falls apart since in reality there is nothing holding this film together besides disturbing imagery.

Can't say I was bored but this mostly due to surprisingly good acting for this kind of film.

If you want to see something bizarre you can go ahead, but there is no good story behind all the weird stuff.

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

Ok so I began watching this movie thinking horror and it opened up slowly to a story about a strange boy sent to a boarding school and it was a small school of just 7 kids. The kids there all have different behaverol, mental or physical issues and we learn in the first 30 minutes or so what they are all about. Throw in a weird headmaster and his assistant and away we go.

I began to think maybe this is a movie that's been labelled horror but not. Then it was like cracking a nut and it all starting to unfold.

It's story very carefully begins to open up into a great horror with a difference and with a twist and a turn we are faced with a great film and ending.

Overall a great film, good story and some gore thrown in.

I am horror fan but this movie no way is in that genre. If you are looking for something real scary don't watch it. I found it slow too, I don't like slow movies

Kept me guessing and entertained... Fun too! Different and worth a watch

Weird movie. Weird premise. Weird characters. Weird ending. If you've run out of good horror flicks to watch it's not a bad second tier to go to.