Cambridge Bridging Programme

Global Prestasi School

A Movie Review:
Bad Genius

Submitted by:
Bianca Shafira Usman

Submitted to :
Mr. Engie Batalia, M.A of Education

This is Partial Submission for the Competition of Assesment in

Cambride Briging Class Programme
 BAD GENIUS
A Film by Nattawut Poonpiriya

Bad Genius is a 2017 film set in Thailand. This film is a thriller

genre film, but it does not contain elements of violence, murder, and scary
ghosts, so it is very suitable to be watched for kids. This film is set in 4
high school children, namely Lynn, Grace, Bank, and Pat. Lynn is a genius
student and gets an educational scholarship thanks to her genius. Grace
is Lynn's best friend who relies on Lynn's genius over and over. Bank is
another genius student who has a diligent and honest nature. And lastly is
Pat who has a loving nature towards Grace, his girlfriend, but arrogant and
temperamental. The four of them are involved in a mass cheating
business which makes them a lot of money but also causes big problems.
It all started with Lynn that entering a new school to fill her father's
request for study abroad. However, Lynn, who is a genius, half-heartedly
accepts her father's request. Unexpectedly Lynn who looks geeky and
also genius is close to Grace who is beautiful, friendly, but stupid. This
closeness with Grace created an income opportunity for Lynn rather than
simply pursuing her easy-to-get grades. There, Lynn begins to help Grace
cheat on her exams after learning that their teacher has leaked questions
during a private tutoring session. He is then approached by Grace's rich
boyfriend, Pat, who offers him a payment in exchange for also helping him
and his friends. Although reluctant at first, Lynn agrees when she learns
that the school, despite her scholarship, collects extra fees from her father,
who earns a modest income as a teacher. He devised a system of hand
signals, based on specific piano pieces, and used them to send answers
during exams. More and more clients. However, his cheating was
accidentally exposed by Banks, another genius student. He was
reprimanded by his father, as well as by the school, which suspended his
scholarship and deprived him of his opportunity to apply for an
international scholarship at the university level.
Lynn is again asked to be an exam’s joky when Pat and Grace ask
her to help them with the STIC, the international standardized test for
university admissions. A plan that would earn them millions of baht.
However, Lynn tells them that she can only do so with the help of the
Bank. But Banks is an honest kid, who would never consider such
dishonesty. But later, Bank, who comes from a poor family and is risking
his future with the same university scholarship, is attacked by thugs on the
street and fails the scholarship exam. Lynn then approached him with the
offer and Bank that unagreed. Together, they make preparations for the
final operation. Lynn and Bank will fly to Australia to begin the exam which
is held globally on the same day and send answers for Pat and Grace to
share with their clients. However, ahead of their flight, Pat lets slip telling
that it was he who ordered the thugs to beat up Bank, to force him to join
their scheme. Bank is furious and attacks Pat and leaves. Lynn, shocked
by the incident, began to reconsider her actions. However, Banks returns
to confront Lynn and tell her to finish what she started.
In Sydney, Lynn and Bank complete the first part of the test as
planned, but Bank is found out and caught. Lynn struggled alone to
memorize the last part and did it at the end of her test. He was chased by
the test administrator who knew about it. After feigning illness and leaving
the test center early, Lynn is caught and brought back to the STIC test
building. There he meets Bank, but Bank denies knowing her and Lynn
was released and given the opportunity to go home. Upon her return to
Thailand, Lynn meets Pat and Grace and found that their plan is a huge
success. But because Bank is caught and she is disqualified, Lynn refuses
Pat and Grace's share of the money and stays away from them both.
Another time later, Bank was contacted her. Now, Bank has invested his
share in revamping his mother's laundry business and Bank invited Lynn
to start another scheme that have much wider client base. That is the
national GAT/PAT university entrance exam. But when she refuses it. And
then Bank threatens to expose her entire fraud and expose that she is the
mastermind behind the scheme. Lynn then tells him that she has made
her choice, deciding to come clean. Tearfully confessing to her father,
Lynn redeems herself and submits a formal confession to the STIC
organization. Lynn cried and her father comforted her saying that Lynn's
honesty was the right choice.
Bad Genius received criticism and praise from both Thai film
observers and international and Indonesian film observers. According to
Thai film observers, Bad Genius has a concept and design that raises
ordinary topics into the first interesting works of art in Thai Cinema. Based
on Praherdityo’s opinion (2020), this film is very interesting because it is
closely related to everyday life, that is the practice of cheating. However,
Nurus (2019) said, this film opens up the weakness of our education
system which educates children to become characterless because they
have to continuously pursue good grades, not the best knowledge. But on
Wulandari’s opinion (2020) said this film also contains many messages,
especially about the education system in the world. In another opinios,
Alghifari (2018) said this film also really invites the audience to think
critically about honesty. This was also conveyed by Khasanah (2020) who
revealed that this film presents that our education system is vulnerable to
social conflict problems where rich children will be able to pay for exam
jockeys so that they can pass exams and get good grades.
 In Natthapong Okapom’s opinion, from Thailand's National Plus TV,
the academic test is the most boring test in the world. But the teams
director have to managed the storyline into a fun and enjoyable gladiator
cinema. From international critics, Bad Genius has a 100% approval rating
on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on twenty-one
reviews, with an average rating of 8.06/10. Clarence Tsui, The Hollywood
Reporter, also writes that Bad Genius is a thriller that has been constantly
providing a bit of cheesy comedy but has hit Thailand recently. According
to ratings on Netflix, this film also received a rating of 95 percent of
viewers liking this film. Natthapong Oapanom also added that this film also
helps the diversity of Thai films on another level.
Phanuphan, a reviewer for TV Sanook and Post Today also noted
the film's subtle criticism of Thailand's problems of inequality and problems
with its education system. Although at the end of the story they add the
motivation of the main character, Lynn, to get out of the trap of bad
attitude, but in the end at the end of the film it is also not explained
adequately. Likewise, a reviewer from the Bangkok Post, also found a
rather immoral error at the end of Bank's character. But he also noted that
the film has also managed to entertain the audience.
In my opinion, this is one of the best films I ever seen. This film is
very suspenseful as well as exciting. The film was directed by Nattawut
Poonpiriya and Tanida Hantaweewatana and Vasudhorn Piyaromna as
screenwriters, making Bad Genius a very interesting film. Because the
storyline is very cool like a Hollywood movie. This film mixes the emotions
of the audience into being annoyed and angry. This film is also unique
because it tells the story of a student who is very, very genius. So that her
friends always depend on her and constantly asking for cheats for every
exams. Uniquely, Lynn, the main character who is a genius, makes codes
that we never imagined before, that inspired by piano’s beat. So their
cheating system is not caught.
The thing that make me struck of this film is the storyline that very
close to the daily life of students at school. Like or not, cheating is
something that is often found in the education system. No matter how
strict the education system is to prevent this practice, students will always
circumvent these policies so that they can cheating again and again to get
good grades with minimum effort. But this is also what makes me sad.
Why is it that our education system only prioritizes those who have
excellent academic grades? Why is there a lack of appreciation for
children who are smart in socializing, processing emotions, and
negotiating at school? This reminds me of people like Grace and Pat who
have this intelligence but are undervalued so they use the wrong way to
be appreciated by their families and social circles.
 Geniuses like Lynn and Banks won't be the lucky ones either. Even
though they are geniuses, life often fools them. I'm sad and concerned
about people like Lynn and Banks. I once thought that being a genius was
what I wanted most. But it turns out that after I watched the Bad Genius
movie, being myself honest and integrity is the best thing. Another thing
I've learned from Bad Genius is that it's not enough to just be smart. I have
to be a person of integrity and honesty to be a successful person. The bad
deeds that Bank and Lynn did had a huge impact on their future. I'm so
sad so sorrow for it. The kids like Bank and Lynn are very talented and
should be successful in the future. But life is not always black and white. I
had to learn and realize that when I was faced with a position like Lynn
and Bank I didn't lose my integrity.
Then I want to tell you a little about Grace and Pat, the other two
main characters others in Bad Genius. I know there are people like Pat
and Grace in this world. People who have privileges but are always
required to be perfect by their environment. I know it's hard for people like
Pat and Grace. But maybe if I were Pat or Grace I'd try to learn first
instead of losing such a great friend like Lynn. I know Grace misses Lynn
so much. Even though she is stupid in her studies, Grace still has a heart.
She loves Lynn very much. So did Pat, who probably felt the importance of
friendship with Lynn through Grace. I was so sad for Grace because she
thought if she has good grades it would change everything for being good
and very well. However, she didn't think that his best friend, Lynn, would
lose everything for her. I wish I hadn't become a person like Grace and
met someone like Grace so I wouldn't be in such a difficult position.
In another things, this film depicts the craziness of cheating that I
never imagined before. Although this is not to be imitated, it is the
creativity of the story that makes this film very tense and interesting. This
film is also able to bring the audience into the suspense as the students try
hard not to be caught cheating by the supervisor.
In my opinion, this film does not provide cheating tricks that can be
imitated by students. But it is a subtle critique of the education system in
Thailand, or perhaps in the whole world, that the school environment
should respect every student's intelligence. I'm concerned about people
like Banks who are geniuses but not good at making friends. He thinks
that becoming a super genius can change his life and family. Even though
there are many things that a person must fill to be successful such as
making connections, being good at managing emotions, and so on. I was
concerned when Banks had to be arrested by supervisors at STIC
Australia for being a test jockey. Previously he was a kind, honest and
integrity person. But life after that has turned him into a very different
person. Hopefully he finds his way to success after becoming the owner of
Mr. Laundry Bank. I really don't want Bank to be a difficult and unlucky
person in the future.
In addition, for the acting of the actors and the actrees are really
impressive. The director, Nattawut Poonpiriya, managed to direct these
teenage actors and actresses to act well. So that the tense atmosphere in
the scenario can also be felt by the audience. They are very deep into
their roles and I didn't expect it to be that good because they are still
young. Thank you to all the Bad Genius creator team for making a film as
good as this.
The main character in this film is relatively inexperienced. It turns
out that none of these four young lead actors had film roles in major studio
productions prior to 2017. The lead actress, Chutimon
Chuengcharoensukying, a fashion model, as Lynn. Chanon Santinatornkul
as Bank, and Pat and Grace are roled by Teeradon Supapunpinyo and
Eisaya Hosuwan, respectively. Teeradon and Eisaya have previous TV
acting experience, and Chanon has appeared in several indie films.
According to Nattawut, the director of this film, the casting of the four main
actors took a long time, until they were almost perfect in their roles. He
was so impressed with their acting that he also gave enough room to
improvise during filming. The chemistry between Lynn and Bank on which
Grace lies to Lynn's father if Lynn and Banks were dating, for example, is
not in the script. Pat's promotional seminar while promote cheating in STIC
was also not written. They are great.
The director, Mr. Nattawut, has called Thaneth Warakulnukroh, a
veteran actor, to play a character as Lynn's father. Mr Thaneth modify the
Bad Genius script to play a very immersive father and daugher’s
character. The Bad Genius cast was underwent acting training for several
months before filming began. Romchat Tanalappipat is the acting coach
for the actors before and during filming. Chutimon, who plays Lynn, was
training for writing in her left hand, because Lynn's character is left-
handed. Chanon, who plays the character of Bank, also practices first to
memorize the value of phi so that it exceeds the 30th number.
The screenwriter also managed to build the characters of the four
teenagers in this film very well from beginning to end. The conflicts that
occur between them do not seem outdated and are given in the right
proportions so that they don't seem far-fetched. The screenwriter also
manages the plot of this film carefully so that viewers who are initially
disturbed by the limitations of different languages can feel the tension in it.
Bad Genius is actually a film inspired by the SAT test cheating’s
scandal in China. The executive producers, Jira Maligool and Vanridee
Pongsittisak heard the SAT test in China was canceled because of a
cheating scandal. The producers then invited Nattawut Poonpiriya to direct
this film. Nattawut Poonpiriya previously had experience directing a thriller
film also entitled Countdown 2012. So the producers believe Nattawut will
be able to develop the Bad Genius film, which was originally titled “2B
Come Won” because it was inspired by the 2B pencil used to fill out the
test sheet.
Nattawut together with Tanida Hantaweewatana and Vasudhorn
Piyaromna were reviewed in detail the format of the school test and STIC
that was used as a selection for registration of overseas students. The
manuscript took 1.5 years to complete. This story was actually developed
from a Hollywood-style heist/caper thriller, but the writers tried to place it in
a context that was still acceptable to Thai audiences. The main challenge
in this film, based on Nattawut, is to tell the story of students taking exams,
which may be the most boring activity in the world, in an interesting way.
Then the secondary theme adopted from this film is the contrasting social
background of the characters, namely Pat and Grace who are rich, and
Lynn and Bank that are poor.
For the four main players, there are Chutimon
Chuengcharoensukying, alias Aokbab, as Lynn, Channon Santinatornkul
alias Nonkul as Bank, Teeradon Sapapunpinyo as Pat, and Eisaya
Hosuwan as Grace, they really deserve credit. They are very visible to
animate their respective characters and are able to convey the message in
the film to the audience very well. They really seem to animate their
respective characters and really deserve praise.
Most of the filming of the film took place in Thailand. Then may be
at 30 percent are located in Sydney, Australia. About ten crew members
flew to Australia from Thailand, while most of the cast filming in Sydney
was sourced from local actors. Filming in Sydney is subject to more
restrictions than in Thailand. Including the shooting time is very limited. A
particularly challenging scene to film was the chase scene in the
underground section of Redfern train station which had to fit into the
normal train travel schedule.
Bad Genius then premiered in Thailand on May 3, 2017 at 20:00.
The film screened on 216 screens and earned 44.15 million baht (US$ 1.3
million). During its opening weekend it managed to occupy the first
position at the Thai box office for two consecutive weeks. The film also
passed 100 million baht, a measure of success for films in Thailand, on
May 20. And by the end of its theatrical release on June 14, it had earned
112.15 million baht ($3.3 million), making it Thailand's highest-grossing
film of 2017.
The film was subsequently released internationally throughout East,
Southeast Asia, as well as Australia and New Zealand. The film then took
first place at the Hong Kong box office at the end of its opening. While in
Taiwan and Malaysia the film had a limited opening but quickly also
gained popularity by word of mouth online, thereby peaking at the
Taiwanese box office and breaking records for grossing in Cambodia,
Taiwan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Vietnam for the Thai Film classified.

Referencing :

Alghifari, Maul. 2018. Bad Genius : People Can Be Smart in Many

Different Ways. https://yonulis.com/2020/05/03/bad-genius-people-
can-be-smart-in-many-different-ways/

Khasanah, Ana. 2020. Review Film Bad Genius : Masalah Pendidikan dan
Sosial di Sekitar Kita. https://milenialis.id/review-film-bad-genius-
masalah-pendidikan-dan-sosial-di-sekitar-kita/

Nurus, Wulan. 2019. Review Film Bad Genius, Si Jenius yang Menyulap
Contekan Menjadi Jalan Menuju Jutawan.
https://www.hipwee.com/narasi/review-film-bad-genius-si-jenius-
yang-menyulap-contekan-menjadi-jutawan/

Praherdito, Endro. 2020. Review Film : Bad Genius.

https://www.cnnindonesia.com/hiburan/20200414164309-220-
493508/review-film-bad-genius

Wulandari, Septriana. 2020. Praktik mencontek masal : Kecurangan siswa

atau kecurangan system Pendidikan? .
https://sekolahmenyenangkan.or.id/review-film-bad-genius-praktik-
mencontek-masal-kecurangan-siswa-atau-kecurangan-sistem-
pendidikan/