Bad Genius (2017)

Interesting facts

Bad Genius, known in Thai as Chalard Games Goeng (ฉลาดเกมส์โกง), is a 2017 Thai heist thriller film produced by Jor Kwang Films and distributed by GDH 559. Directed by Nattawut Poonpiriya and co-written by Nattawut, Tanida Hantaweewatana, and Vasudhorn Piyaromna, it stars Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying in her feature film debut as Lynn, a straight-A student who devises an exams-cheating scheme which eventually rises to international levels.

Production

Bad Genius was produced by Jira Maligool and Vanridee Pongsittisak, executives and veteran producers at GDH (previously GTH). Jira came up with the film's premise when he heard on the news that SAT scores were being cancelled in China due to a cheating scandal. The producers then invited Nattawut Poonpiriya to direct the film.

Nattawut wrote the script together with Tanida Hantaweewatana and Vasudhorn Piyaromna, researching the format details of current standardised tests, as well as actual methods of exam cheating from the news. The script took about 1+1⁄2 years to complete. The story was developed as a Hollywood-style heist/caper thriller, but the writers made efforts to ground it in a context that would still be relatable to a Thai audience.

The film's main cast was relatively inexperienced—none of the four young main actors had had film roles in a major studio production prior to 2017. Lead actress Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying, a fashion model, made her film acting debut as Lynn. Chanon Santinatornkul played the role of Bank, and Pat and Grace were played by Teeradon Supapunpinyo and Eisaya Hosuwan, respectively.

The only veteran actor in a major role was Thaneth Warakulnukroh, who played Lynn's father. Primarily a singer and songwriter, Thaneth had been absent from acting for over thirty years when Nattawut came across a magazine interview of him, and invited him to cast for the role. Nattawut noted that Thaneth's performance led him to modify the script and make the father less controlling, resulting in a more profound father-daughter relationship.

The cast underwent acting workshops for a couple of months before filming commenced. Romchat Tanalappipat served as acting coach, and worked with the actors before and during filming. Special preparations by the actors include Chutimon practising writing with her left hand, as her character is left-handed, and Chanon memorising the value of pi to beyond the 30th digit.

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