Bad Genius

A young tenant called Jackson (Jude Harris) is nearly evicted by his irate landlady and friend, Jess (Erielle Scott), who scolds him for having recently dissapeared. Things are resolved when Jackson reveals he has spent two months in ER following an accident and, consequently, he is given more time to pay his outstanding rent. Left in a tight spot, Jackson uses a fake student ID to complete a chemistry test to, presumably, improve his prospects. However, whether he will get away or not, is another story…

A finalist for Best Short Film at this year’s Rome Prisma Film Awards, Writer-Director Chris Wu's Bad Genius is presumably inspired by the hit 2017 Thai feature film of the same name, itself a response to a real-life SAT exams-cheating scandal. In contrast, Wu’s short film is built around just three scenes; Jackson’s confrontation at home with Jess, his meeting with a shady friend (Bryson Bonta) to retrieve the fraudulent ID and the exam itself, supervised by a veteran professor (David Ksiazek). If it’s a good example of economical film-making that you’re looking for, then Bad Genius is certainly not bad at that.

Cinematically, much like Jackson’s academic potential, Bad Genius is lacking. Wu’s script is tight, pragmatic and realistic enough to sustain the drama, but a few dashes of visual flair along the way would have helped the story to become more engaging and interesting. As Jackson, Harris is believable and understated, though we’re never quite sure about the morality or motivations of his character. Was he really involved in a near-fatal car crash? Why does he pursue the enormous risk of posing as a chemistry student, when other short-term options or taking up Jess’ offer of support seem better and, certainly, less riskier?

During the climatic exam, Wu offers a neat surprise, but one can’t help but feel this scene had a lot more potential for suspense and tension going for it. The moments with Jackson nervously approaching to collect his paper, the seeming hesitation of the professor and the intrusive and unexpected entrance of a police officier (Tommy Quinn) are wonderfully Hitchcockian on paper but, here, the execution feels a little flat. Much like the whole of Bad Genius itself, it works well enough - but, arguably, it all could have been done even better.

Satisfyingly though, Wu’s most effective punch is the film’s ending. Not for its twist, but the final image which Wu sets-up. Jackson’s became known as “the smartest guy” but he is left disgraced and exposed. Indeed, we get a glimpse of his innate genius during the test but, in the end, he is shown to be far from smart and, ironically, Wu closes the classroom without him in there. Bad Genius may not always perform that highly, but its pay-off does.