Reaction Paper – not merely reactions, but careful review of themes or messages

discussed in a book or movie.

Title of the movie: Bad Genius
Three parts
1. Summary
Lynn, a top secondary school student living with her father, is accepted into a
prestigious school, earning a scholarship for her academic achievements. There, she is
befriended by the good-natured but academically challenged Grace. Lynn begins
helping Grace cheat in exams after finding out that their teacher has been leaking
questions in private tutoring sessions. She is then approached by Grace's rich boyfriend
Pat, who offers payment in exchange for also helping him and his friends. Although at
first reluctant, Lynn agrees when she finds out that the school took payments of "tea
money" from her father, who earns a modest income as a teacher. She devises a
system of hand signals, based on certain piano pieces, and uses them to send answers
during exams. Her base of clients eventually grows. However, her cheating is
inadvertently revealed by Bank, another top student. She is reprimanded by her father
and the school, which suspends her scholarship, as well as her chance to apply for an
international scholarship at the university level.

Lynn returns to the cheating business when Pat and Grace ask her to help them cheat
in the STIC—an international standardized test for university admissions—a scheme
which will earn them millions of baht. However, Lynn tells them that she can only do it
with Bank's help, and honest, upright Bank would never join them. However, Bank, who
is from a poor family and is staking his future on the same university scholarship, is
incidentally attacked by thugs in the street and misses the exam. Lynn then approaches
him with the offer and Bank reluctantly agrees.

Together, they make preparations for the final operation. Lynn and Bank will fly to
Australia in order to get a head start on the exams, which are held globally on the same
day, and send back answers for Pat and Grace to distribute to the clients. However, on
the eve of their flight, Pat lets slip that it was he who ordered the thugs to beat up Bank,
in order to force him to join their scheme. Enraged, Bank attacks Pat and leaves. Lynn,
shocked at the revelation, begins rethinking her actions. However, Bank returns to
confront Lynn, telling her to finish what she started.

In Sydney, Lynn and Bank complete the first sections of the test according to plan, but
Bank is overcome by anxiety and is caught. Lynn struggles to memorize the final
section herself, but finally pulls through. She is pursued by the test administrator after
feigning illness and leaving the test centre early, but is released when Bank tells the
staff he doesn't know her.

Returning home, Lynn finds that their scheme was a great success, but, broken by the
experience, turns her back on her co-conspirators. Some time later, she visits Bank,
who has invested his share in revamping his mother's laundry business. Bank invites
Lynn to start a different scheme, this time with a much wider client base—those taking
the national GAT & PAT exams. She turns him down, telling him that she's made her
choice. Lynn finally decides to come clean, tearfully confessing to her father, who
comforts her and helps her redeem herself by submitting a formal confession to the
STIC organization. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Genius)

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 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 school teacher 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
head start 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. 8/10

This review was originally published in the author's blog, "Fred Said."

2. Themes discussed and relation to real situations

To one’s self. What I've learned from this movie is that the love of a father is more than
just provision and protection. Whether we are a genius or a fool, we have a father who
will always encourage us to choose the right way. On the contrary, the absence of a
father figure may cause us to be lured by a faster but darker way to be recognized and
live up to people's expectations. Unfortunately, this path would usually lead to
destruction. This movie sends a message that we rely on and care about a lot of money
that we are likely to make mistakes. If you guys decides to watch this movie, pay
attention to the background, sound effects and character development. It really tells us
not to judge people too quickly and that people can change for a good and bad cause. I
think everyone can relate to this movie because everyone used to be a student or is one
now. One thing that I dislike about the movie is the dearth of portrayals of extra-
curricular activities in school. Being a student is not all about studying but also about
joining clubs, societies and just being out there. There are more than just books and
exams to a student’s life.

As I watched the movie, I was in tears in some scenes (the actors playing Bank and
Lynn are really great) because it reminded me of painful experiences in school. I can
relate a bit to Lynn and Bank, and I have also felt that I was being 'used' by some
people, not for friendship, but for some sort of personal gain. I liked how Lynn said to
Bank about the more popular Pat and Grace, "We're losers. We're not like Grace and
Pat. We have to work a lot harder." It was harsh, but it was true. In the adolescent high
school world, it's the extroverts who win, and most introverts just remembered having a
hard time. The lesson I learned from this movie, cheating is a fast remedy, but it will not
solve the problem. In my opinion, it is better to fail than to cheat. The best solution to
your grades is actual studying and understanding your lessons in school. I'm really
amused that the people in the story had to go all through that when in the end studying
for the exam is easier and less stressful than a heist!

To the society. Many of us can relate to cheating, we all have done it at least once in
our lives and I think that is a huge factor on this film's popularity. Cheating in school
exams is an open secret. Almost everyone does it, but no one openly talks about it. One
key lesson in this movie is how money makes the world go round. We see how money
motivates people, gives authority people and the most obvious one, makes people
greedy. Money is portrayed as the father of all evil as it is never used for something
good in this movie. The character development of Lynn and her counterpart Bank
shows that people can change because of money, be it clean or dirty. Another things
that we can learn from this movie is that intelligence is not everything. Having good
values and attitude is something that the working industry is seeking more than
intelligence because what is the use of knowledge if we don’t use it for good?

Knowledge is defined as the skills and information that is gained through experience or
education. There are endless things in the world that we can fill our minds with. We can
explore the world and use what we have learned to make daily tasks more interesting or
easier. It is essentially one of the greatest tools for success when used right.

3. Conclusions
I've heard of Bad Genius from my brother and his friend, it’s only showing in the
Philippines recently so I watched it. I enjoyed it and I never thought a movie about an
exam could be this suspenseful. The story is about Lynn, a top secondary student she
is introverted. Her father is a teacher who wants a better life for Lynn, so he persuades
her to a more prestigious high school against her wishes. She befriends Grace, a pretty
and popular student who's not that smart. Lynn helps her cheat in some exams so she
can make her grades higher to qualify for the theater club. Pat, Grace's rich boyfriend,
soon 'employs' Lynn to help them for their exams. Bank, another top student, becomes
Lynn's acquaintance when they both represented their school for a quiz contest. Bank is
not that rich, he lives with his mother and they have a laundry shop but he aims for a
better life. Bank's honesty exposes Lynn.

So I decided to share the life truths that hit me hard, while watching bad genius:

Honesty is the best policy. But it can also screw yours and other’s life easily.
When Bank reported his classmate to the principal for copying Lynn’s answers during
the exam, in his mind, he was just doing the right thing. Little did he know that Lynn
allows and earns from it. By telling the principal this, plus Lynn losing her temper, it cost
their budding friendship. Their school also disallowed Lynn from participating in the
exam for college scholarship in Singapore, her father’s main dream for her.

Honesty is the best policy because it sets a person free. Free of guilt, responsibility,
shame or burden. However, one of the consequences of being honest is that it can
potentially change a lot of things. Sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse.
Money can’t buy happiness, not for the long term at least. When Lynn started
earning money from helping her classmates pass, you can see the contents of her
passbook consistently increasing. And then there’s the scene where her father fits the
new clothing from Lynn c/o her “piano lessons”. When Bank got his share from the STIC
scheme, you could see that their laundry business upgraded. No longer will Bank’s
mother wash the clothes by using hand. Having money does not guarantee a happy life.
Lack of money doesn’t also mean you have a miserable life. One thing money does? It
helps you buy things, which may be a source of happiness, only for a time. And only
until you realize you have to continuously do what you have to do, good or bad, just to
earn it all over again.

Grades doesn’t matter, but only until after you graduate. Lynn was able to enter the
prestigious school because of her excellent grades. Lynn and Bank were endorsed by
their school for Singapore Scholarship because they are smart. Pat, Grace and the rest
of their classmates pay Lynn just to pass their exams, move to the next grade level and
secure a good university. It is true that bad or good grades will not determine how a
person will perform in the future. Just look at the Facebook profiles of your high school
or college friends. Those that are part of the cream of the crop may not have the highest
salaries while those that barely scrape a passing grade now have their own businesses.
However, these scenarios happen outside school, for most cases, after the academic
years. As long as you’re a student and based on our current educational system, the
school has no other objective way to assess if you can proceed to the next level, without
using grades.

Getting what you want is amazing, until you realize it’s not what you need. When
Lynn returns from Sydney to Thailand, she was welcomed by Pat & Grace, both having
successfully passed their STICs. They were happy and excited especially since Lynn
will be there to help them. Or so they though. But then Lynn said, “Even if I come with
you, I would not be able to help you. Don’t you know? University questions are not
multiple-choice questions.” Pan to the scene where Pat & Grace, with the rest of their
classmates, celebrates for passing the STICs with high marks only to realize mid-party
that their high STIC grade is not a security for entering their dream school. There are
instances where we work so hard just to get what we want or what we thought we need.
By the time we got it, only then are we told that “No, it’s not what we’re looking for. Who
told you to get that?” Imagine putting so much effort on things, persons, and situations
only to later realize that you’ve accomplished close to nothing.

Cheating is wrong, but people do it anyway. Lynn earned a lot of money – at least
3,000 baht per subject, per person every exam time. For the STIC level, Lynn and Bank
got 2 million baht each, not counting the share of Pat & Grace. Can you imagine how
much money Lynn and Bank would made if they continue? Bank’s laundry business
took a 180-degree change, and they have just started. Whatever context is presented,
cheating is never right. But, it doesn’t mean people shy away from doing it. In their
exams, when they are applying for work, our politicians in place, in relationships.

What may be known as universally wrong, is business for some people, a way of life.
Because it never stops when you get that first million, that first taste. It just goes bigger
from there. (http://www.ategirlcpahub.com/5-life-truths-bad-genius/)

I want you know that all of the above are not lessons I’ve learned from Bad Genius.
These are all life truths that we see, we feel, we experience and perhaps do. And
maybe, that’s one of the things the movie wanted us to see, realize and reflect about.
These are all truths. But not all truths are good and not all are bad and they are just it,
the truth. Other lesson we can take from this movie is that the end does not justify the
means. Both Lynn and Bank want more money to support their family, but their way of
gaining money is dirty. It promotes laziness and idleness among their customers. What
is most important is that their customers may never become smart as they rely too
much on money to pass the exams. The grades they get are not theirs but their
parents’/the money’s.

10 GOOD LESSONS YOU'LL LEARN FROM BAD GENIUS

1. Intelligence, like wealth, divides people into different classes: those who are very
lucky; those who are just lucky; and those who are unlucky.
2. Cheating is like prostitution. Some people do it for a living because life always cheats
them. Yes, nobody's perfect but doing it for the rest of your life is unacceptable.
3. Those who have less in life have the tendency to achieve more in school. But what is
more ideal is that many should get more in life and in school.
4. Education does not stop right after you finish your exams. Education starts when you
use in life what you learned from your exams.
5. Success comes to those who give their best. Those who chase failure, sleep on the
bed of thorns.
6. Your score in exams will define your brain but not your heart. There are no exams for
those who have big hearts.
7. Cheating comes in many shapes and colors. Cheat once but learn thrice.
8. Universities value high grades more than learning.
9. Don't mistake grades with success. Grades are for schools. Real success happens
after school.
10. At the end of the day, it's better to fail with honor than to succeed with lies.
BAD GENIUS
© Anxiety Ph