This Thai thriller was one I missed when I was at Fantastic Fest, but the buzz was good enough that, even with Manuka only putting on one screening a day at the not-exactly-user-friendly time of 6:20pm, I wasn't going to miss this. And indeed, this is an excellent example of the genre - a heist movie on the unlikely topic of exam cheating. The familiar heist elements are still there - the carefully worked out plans, and the desperate improvisations that have to take place as various complications arise - but in this case they're executed flawlessly, making what should be dull cinematic material (basically, people filling in circles in pencil), into something tense and compelling.
The largely teen cast are playing archetypes (the smart one, the friendly one, the rich one, the poor but honest one etc), but there's just enough rounding off to make sure that they're not mere plot ciphers - these are recognisable kids in a somewhat improbable situation. And as important, they largely keep our sympathies - yes, they're basically committing fraud, and the stakes are pretty high, but it's also kept clear that there are other forces in play pushing them into taking these extreme actions. And the unusual nature of both plot and location (how many Thai High School Thrillers have you seen before) gives it that extra something - virtuoso execution meaning we're never confused or lost by the constantly-moving plot.
Recommended for anybody who's been waiting for a good tense thriller.
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