Taking a deceptively comic approach to contemporary social and political realities in his native Thailand, debut filmmaker Sorayos Prapapan has fashioned an original and gripping vision set in the rigid, cutthroat environment of high school.

As the title promises, senior student Arnold excels at his studies and is a frontrunner for education scholarships and accolades. Yet after returning from studying abroad in the United States, he begins to question the meaning and authoritarian practices of school itself, and his growing awareness then makes him ripe for temptation into an underground cheating ring.

Based in part on the Bad Student movement in Thailand, which saw high schoolers taking a stand against physical punishment, dress codes, and other autocratic practices, Prapapan’s movie presents a hard, highly entertaining look at the options open to young people in a dictatorial world.

DIRECTOR/WRITER: Sorayos Prapapan

PRODUCERS: Donsaron Kovitvanitcha, Sorayos Prapapan

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Teck Siang Lim

EDITOR: Carlo Francisco Manatad

MUSIC: Nattapong Pipattanasub

CAST: Korndanai Marc Dautzenberg, Siriboon Naddhabhan, Winyu Wongsurawat, Yanin Pongsuwan, Niramon Busapavanich

LENGTH: 85 min

LANGUAGE: Thai with English Subtitles

COUNTRY: Thailand, Singapore, France, Netherlands, Philippines

GENRE: Drama | Comedy

ACCOLADES / FESTIVALS:

2023 New Directors/New Films | Official Selection

2022 Singapore International Film Festival -| Special Mention, Asian Feature Film Competition

2022 Hong Kong Asian Film Festival | New Talent Award

2022 Locarno Film Festival | Official Selection, Filmmakers of the Present