The Thai adaptation of Japanese fantasy novel Colourful by Eto Mori, Homestay centers around the struggles of a wandering soul who’s given a second chance at life in the body of Min (Teeradon "James" Supapunpinyo), a high school boy who recently took his own life. But resurrection doesn’t come easy. The spirit has 100 days to find out why Min committed suicide. If unable to accomplish his mission, he will be stripped from his physical vessel and remain a stray soul for all eternity.
In his new life, the spirit lives with Min’s family: an engineer mom who works far away, a father who quits his job to be a multi-level marketing representative, and a temperamental older brother. At school, he learns that Min has a relationship with Pie (Cherprang Areekul), a popular student who by all means seems perfect. Min’s life, on the surface, appears ideal but as the 100-day deadline looms, the spirit uncovers a few shady secrets of those around him.
The screenplay has its flaws—it’s way too Japanized and the ending is predictable—but is thankfully overshadowed by James’ surprisingly powerful performance. His role as the stray soul/Min reveals a depth to his acting that his parts in Bad Genius and the now-showing TV drama In Family We Trust hasn’t unearthed. (Good job, boy!) Cherpang in her acting debut is as much a revelation—who knew that her cutesy girl-group demeanor concealed hidden layers of undiscovered emotion?
Homestay is atypical of the feel-good movies usually produced by GDH. It isn’t their best movie, but neither is it their worst. But like teen movies with the best intentions, it tries to impart a moral: look at things from various perspectives and you’ll find the bright side even from the darkest hole. Life is a series of come and go, so why not enjoy it while you can?
