#  >  > Living And Legal Affairs In Thailand >  >  > Teaching In Thailand >  >  Why Thai film 'Bad Genius' is a box office hit

## Chittychangchang

Cheating in school exams is an open secret. Almost everyone does it, but no one openly talks about it. Thai director Nattawut Poonpiriya came up a hip film "Bad Genius" that tackles this very sticky topic and wound up with the highest grossing film in Thailand this year, as well as the most profitable Thai film distributed worldwide of all time so far. Aside from "Shutter" (2004) and "Pee Mak" (2013), it isn't very frequent that we get a Thai movie in local cinemas, so this one promises to be a really good one.



Lynn is a brilliant math genius and scholar in a prestigious high school. Her richer (but not so academically blessed) classmates conscripted her to let them copy her answers during major exams by tempting her with a generous fee of 3,000 baht per exam per person. When time came for the international-based STIC exams, Lynn called in her fellow genius scholar and competitor Bank for his incredible memory as the stakes of their massive cheating operation Cheating in school exams is an open secret. Almost everyone does it, but no one openly talks about it. Thai director Nattawut Poonpiriya came up a hip film "Bad Genius" that tackles this very sticky topic and wound up with the highest grossing film in Thailand this year, as well as the most profitable Thai film distributed worldwide of all time so far. Aside from "Shutter" (2004) and "Pee Mak" (2013), it isn't very frequent that we get a Thai movie in local cinemas, so this one promises to be a really good one.were raised to reach millions of baht for both of them.

Lynn was played by Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying, a fashion model who debuts as an actress in this film, and what an impressive debut it was. A lot of excitement and drama also hinged on the charismatic performance of Chanon Santinatornkul as Bank. They did not have typical teen-idol looks, but there was an unspoken chemistry between them which was quite thrilling, especially on that scene on the pedestrian bridge. 
The millionaire classmate Pat and his pretty popular girlfriend Grace were played by Teeradon Supapunpinyo and Eisaya Hosuwan, respectively. They play typical rich brats who think money can buy their way out of any situation. Thaneth Warakulnukroh played Lynn's father, a humble schoolteacher Vit, in a most realistic and sympathetic way. I totally identified with his painful frustration and unwavering support of his daughter. 
The story was told and edited in a very exciting way, like a heist caper. The elaborate plans even involve Lynn and Bank flying to Sydney, Australia in order to get a four-hour headstart on the exam answers to transmit to Pat and Grace. I don't know if this is based on a true incident in the past but that final sequence alternating between events in Sydney and Bangkok was very suspenseful. All possible thrill gimmicks were used to enhance the tension during that climactic series of events. 
Overall the movie is a cautionary tale against dishonesty. At my age, it was uncomfortable watching cheating shenanigans in school unfold on a big screen, but I am sure high school students will find it very funny and entertaining, but I hope not educational in terms of techniques. A twist before the ending came gave me a big jolt because of a shift in character which I did not expect and I did not like, but I admit that this change was not completely implausible. Lessons about academic integrity will be taught here in this film, and I hope the target audience learns it.

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Movie review: Why Thai film 'Bad Genius' is a global box office hit | ABS-CBN News

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## wasabi

Plenty of YouTube videos already on this subject, some of them Thai as students are ahead of the production so it's not exactly a groundbreaking subject.
No cheating on this thread, all cheaters stay away.

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## hick

The fem Uni students used to (prolly still do) write obvious crib notes on their upper thighs (knowing we couldn't physically touch them to gain proof), so they could easily slide their skirts back and forth to view the notes.  

Boys were all bent outta' shape b/c they didn't have that option but couldn't bring themselves to rat out their sisters, either.  

I came in one mid-term cycle fed up w/ all the fidgety cheating and placed an old, clunky video camera at the top of the over-sized testing room.  

Sighs all around and death-looks from the girls.  Never turned on the cam but there was a lot less shifting around in seats that morning.

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## Chittychangchang

When Thai movie _Bad Genius_ finished a strong second in Chinese box-office rankings on its opening weekend, industry commen[at]tators clamoured to decipher the signi[at]ficance. Now the highest-grossing Thai release ever in China, the exam-scam caper has been a triumph for distributor Hengye Pictures.
The company pulled off a marketing campaign as taut and precise as the film’s school-hall schemes. Exhibitors and heavy[at]weight bloggers were invited to exclusive previews, while full-time students attended sneak previews free of charge – gestures that generated significant buzz in the run-up to the film’s release on, October 13.
Some see the success of _Bad Genius_ as proof that flat-fee imports have become as lucrative for Chinese film distributors as the Hollywood block[at]busters that are unspooling as so-called shared-revenue titles. According to showbiz news portal Yule Zibenlun, _Bad Genius_ would yield a profit of at least 70 million yuan (US$10.5 million) for Hengye against an out[at]lay of 3.3 million yuan for the Chinese rights.
Beyond industry chatter about promo[at]tional strategies and profit margins, there is a more pressing question about a film that, according to audience research portal Taopiaopiao, relied heavily on the 16-24 age group. Why did this notoriously fickle and star-crazed demographic warm to a Thai film devoid of a love story, recog[at]nis[at]able stars or cosmopolitan glamour?

Young Chinese movie-goers flock to see Thai film that reflects their school-exam angst | Post Magazine | South China Morning Post


Maybe because the Chinese are copycats also :Smile:

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## YourDaddy

I just saw this and quite liked it. you wouldn't know from this trailer, but it's actually a heist movie. 

I am surprised at how good the acting is in some of these recent movies from relative newcomers.

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## Maanaam

> relied heavily on the 16-24 age group. Why did this notoriously fickle and star-crazed demographic warm to a Thai film devoid of a love story, recog[at]nis[at]able stars or cosmopolitan glamour?


They went looking for tips and ideas.

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## Maanaam

> I am surprised at how good the acting is in some of these recent movies from relative newcomers.


You wouldn't say that if you saw


> and "Pee Mak" (2013)

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