Plot:
Cheng Li-sheung is ready to move forward with her life. Having saved money for a new apartment, she wants to get her dream apartment. Things just aren't going her way and it looks like she won't be getting the apartment after all, so she starts killing the people in the apartment building.
Our thoughts:
I knew it! I should've listened to my gut and not my head back in 2011 when we were working on the "Best of 2011" list. This was a title I was really curious about, but I decided to look for titles I hadn't heard of. And finally forgetting about "Dream Home" until now. Luckily it was worth the wait, as I got quite a kick out of it. A kick that ended up with me going through other titles I had intentionally skipped (it's how I work, don't judge me!) - many of them Asian.
The simple premise of "Dream Home" is that a woman is about to buy her first apartment, and she has kept something her father said to her when she was young very close to heart. She had her mind set on an apartment with a view of the sea, just like her dad loved, but the apartment doesn't come cheap. And by that I mean... she has to kill for it! Okay, no, that's totally not in the contract. It's just very expensive, that's all. But she does have to kill for it eventually! Yes, when things aren't going quite as planned, she sees no other option than to kill the people that live in the building.
The movie is, and I stand by it, mostly entertaining because of the kills. It's an over-the-top movie that carries it quite nicely. The plot isn't terrible, but maybe a bit unbelievable. Although there are real cases way worse than killing people for not getting your dream apartment, it just still feels a bit much. It doesn't matter at all though, because we have a really solid slasher drama on our hands. Josie Ho is great as Cheng Li-sheung, and makes it at least plausible that she would go this far. She's vulnerable and strong all at the same time.
Many of the kills managed to get a reaction from me, especially when she stabs someone in the throat with a bong (another throat scene too, which probably means that I'm sensitive about the throat area!). There's a large number of people killed, and most of the time it gets really messy. Whether you do get affected by the story of Cheng Li-sheung trying to get her dream apartment or not, you can't deny that you'll get more than a little excited whenever there's a bloodbath like this on screen.
I highly recommend "Dream Home", I had a lot of fun with it. You do care about the main character, but the highlights are all the kills. It's not the most gory film out there, but it's still spraying plenty enough. And you gotta give it some credit for being as creative as it is. I find it similar to "Inside" in several ways, but I find "Dream Home" to be a lot more entertaining and, frankly, more believable. I can imagine it could please the same fans, though. Overall, I had a blast with "Dream Home", even through its weaknesses. |
