Bad Genius? Genius.

By Victor Yin
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​On the chilly morning of October 6th, Grade 11 and Grade 12 students, from Ms. McChesney’s second block Film Studies 11 class, traveled to the Vancouver International Film Festival at the International Village Shopping Center. Their objective? Bad Genius, a Thai film about a troupe of ingenious students with plans to make millions of dollars through cheating on standardized exams.

The film, directed by Nattawut Poonpiriya, was inspired by real-life events regarding a cheating scandal on the SAT exam and has received critical acclaim. 

Many of the themes in the film will resonate with students: the tension of an exam, the drama of relationships, and the uncertainty of the future fill the movie with constant suspense. The nature of cheating brings viewers into an ethical dilemma: should we be rooting for the brave students standing up against the injustice of standardized testing? Or is the movie more of a warning about moral corruption and the consequences it leads to? Either way, Bad Genius is a gripping adventure through the world of tests.
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“I really liked it,” said Katlyn Hui, Grade 12. “It had a really nice message at the end.”
Vancouver International Film Festival aims to bring some of the world’s best cinema to multiple theatres in Vancouver. Although VIFF is now over for the 2017 year, you can expect a similar line-up of fascinating films next year as well, making VIFF a worthwhile way to spend a spare afternoon.