The Blue Hour (2015)

This is my first movie comment. I felt compelled to write this review because many viewers and reviewers haven’t given this movie credit for how good it is primarily because they have a preconceived notion or expectation of what the movie is before watching it and feel unsatisfied at the end because they don’t fully understand it. If you think this story is a gay coming-out/love story or a horror movie the you’ve been badly misled but give it a chance and you’ll find it to be a pretty worthwhile watch.

I will admit that the first time I watched it I was confused as to what happened. Much like the movie the Sixth Sense this one made you think and required you to watch it a second time. The second time around it makes more sense. This is not your conventional horror movie or a gay coming of age love story. Think of it as the reaction of the mind because of horrors that it has to endure.

The title The Blue Hour is very significant to the meaning of the movie. The Blue Hour, also known as Onthakan, is the time between day and night; dream and reality; good and evil. This is where this movie lies.

My personal thoughts on what the movie means after watching it a second time. Don’t read the next section till you’ve watched the movie at least once,

The story is about Tam, a High School student who’s bullied at school and physically and mentally abused at home by his family for being gay. To escape, his mind creates an alter ego named Phum. The movie goes back and forth between Tam’s reality and dreams — hence the blue hour — with the majority of the movie in Tam’s dreams. Phum is strong, independent, self-aware and confident, traits that Tam doesn’t have. Phum essentially acts as the trigger (imagine that little devil on Tam’s shoulder) that unleashes the horrors that lie within Tam’s mind. Phum frees Tam sexually; makes him feel at peace with himself and who he is (any of their poolside chats and the rooftop scene); allows Tam to metaphorically see what his parents have taken away from him (the empty field with so much potential that became a garbage dump - Tam is accused of everything that is bad with their family, including being gay), rationalize murder to save himself (stuff that happens while he’s in the dump); and to learn how to mentally get away from it all (I think this is what the whole holding breath thing is, to be dead without being dead). The pool represents the dirty section of Tam’s mind. The random images that show up on the pool walls that look like images of people made from crap are manifestations of Tam’s problems specifically his family that keep on showing up no matter how hard he tries to remove them. Tam nearly drowning in the pool is essentially that, Tam drowning in his problems. Not sure what the meaning of Phum saving Tam from drowning means. However, after Phum saves and revives him, Tam admits that he can’t remember anything that happened - thereby admitting that he’s struggling between dreams and reality or maybe even good and evil thoughts. The gangsters, who Tam and Phum meet at the pool, are the manifestations of Tam rationalizing murdering his family and a willingness to give up parts of himself to do it - the whole negotiation and Phum listing all the things he’s willing to give up. The ending scene, Tam and Phum meet at a calm river representing Tam’s mind at peace and calm.

I too struggled with this movie at first. A second viewing with an open and objective mind will really make you appreciate the movie and its subtle complexities.

Gun and Oabnathi did a great job acting in this movie that you wanted to believe that they were “real” couple/friendship as opposed to just that little devil on Tam’s shoulder. Thats the genius of movies like this and the Sixth Sense.

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When I finish watching the film, my reaction was like; "huh, what happen?!", "who did this and who did that?!". I was just shocked by the ending but I really did not felt horrified nor scared.

I just really got curious of what really happened to the plot of the story so I basically watch the movie one more time and I just found out what this movie is all about though. lol :p

IDK if most of the people who watch this film for the first time felt the same way I had which is confusion.

OVERALL: T'was a great and unique movie I could say since it made me feel curious and had my urge to re-watch this film.

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