9Fest Brian Bennett reviews BAD GENIUS (2017)
Numbers UP – 99 – Excellent , 96 – Very Good , 69 – Good, 66 – Mediocre
Review: 96 – Very Good
Director
Nattawut Poonpiriya
Production Company
Gdh
With anticipation, I wanted to see Nattawut’s second feature film. His first feature COUNTDOWN was a refreshing indie, atypical Thai film.
BAD GENIUS captures the underlying core of Thailand today. Cheating scandals on entrance exams are morning coffee cup news. From police tests to university entrance exams, cheating is part of the curriculum these days.
BAD GENIUS is well cast, with students eager to pass entrance exams to foreign universities. Because we read about scandals and corruption, it seems like second nature for many students to get on board and get a free pass for their exam.
Nattawut’s film is a black comedy, yet has a deep social message embedded in the plot. At times, the black humor turned to tears. And this was done by the excellent acting and direction shown in BAD GENIUS.
