The cover/poster was very unnerving and the advertising likewise. Really liked the concept too, not an original one perhaps but it sounded really intriguing and was already admiring its subject matter and ideas. All those things were enough to make me want to see it.

'Boarding School' turned out not to be a great film, there are issues here. But for a low-budget horror recent viewing as part of one of my many quests recently, 'Boarding School' is easily up there with the few ones that was actually decent. Can totally see why others have liked it. Am one of those whose feelings are mutual, but admired what it set out to do, it doesn't waste its idea and its tackling of the theme was brave.

Lets start with the good things. 'Boarding School' looks good, there is a sense of dark unsettlement, the editing was at least cohesive and the photography is stylish and doesn't try to do too much, not static or chaotic. The music is suitably ominous and there is tension, creepiness and suspense, with a good deal of the second half being unnerving. 'Boarding School' avoids being over reliant on jump-scares, too much predictability, being cheesy or hackneyed, with some surprisingly thought-provoking explorations of sensitive and relevant issues and not in a preachy way.

The acting is much better than average, with Luke Prael showing good potential as Jacob. Was at least engaged for much of the duration, had no trouble understanding what was going on, was emotionally invested and at no point was my intelligence insulted. The characters show some signs of depth, at least have personality and didn't behave in a way that irritated me. The ending was unexpected and quite clever and unsettling.

As aforementioned, there are drawbacks too. Some of the pace could have been tighter, a little slow in spots. The script is quite a big weakness, it is not always easy to take it seriously, there is some awkwardness and cheese and it could have been tighter.

It is agreed that some of the film does get silly and too on the strange side later on when the film tries to do a little too much. The sound quality is not always well balanced with it tending to favour the music.

All in all, better than expected though not without things to criticise. 6/10 Bethany Cox

The film builds the background of Jacob (Luke Prael) an almost 13-year-old Jewish cross-dresser. I'M NOT A GIRL! He also has bad dreams haunted by an event that happened to his evil grandmother whose clothes he likes to wear. His step-dad has him sent off to a special boarding school. The class is small. One child has Tourette Syndrome. Another is disfigured from a fire. There are two Latino kids who come from lily white parents who claim they were not adopted. (Pool Boy?) And there is Christine (Sterling Jerins) who likes to be hit and has taken a shine to Jacob. They immediately know there is something wrong with the boarding school as its secrets slowly unfold.

The film made me feel uncomfortable at times. Clearly what the director wanted and in a horror film, that is good. Different.

Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity.

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