Bad Genius

Lynn, a top secondary school student, is accepted into a prestigious school on scholarship. She quickly befriends Grace, a student who is bright but struggles academically. The new environment sets the stage for pressure that will later tempt her to cheat.

She discovers that a teacher has been leaking exam questions during private tutoring sessions. Grace asks for help to cheat, and Lynn agrees to assist. The discovery plants the first seeds of how far she might go to secure success.

Grace's wealthy boyfriend Pat offers money in exchange for cheating help for him and his friends. Lynn becomes aware that her father's extra fees for tuition are weighing on the family, reinforcing her motive to keep cheating. She agrees to expand her involvement beyond Grace.

To hide the cheating, Lynn creates a hand-signaling system synchronized with certain piano pieces. The method initially serves Grace and Pat’s circle but quickly attracts more students. The scheme grows in scope as pressure to deliver increases.

Bank, another top student, exposes the cheating scheme. Lynn is reprimanded by her father and the school suspends her scholarship and blocks her chance to apply for international opportunities. The consequences ripple through her family and her aspirations.

With the STIC international exam looming, Pat and Grace press Lynn to resume cheating on a larger scale. Lynn insists that Bank must join to safeguard their plan, since he too seeks a university scholarship. The group’s entanglement deepens as the stakes rise.

Bank is attacked by thugs in the street to coerce his participation. Lynn approaches him again, offering a renewed chance to join the scheme. He reluctantly agrees, driven by the need to secure his future.

Lynn and Bank fly to Australia to get a head start on the STIC test, planning to send back answers on the global test day. Their aim is to maximize the payoff while avoiding immediate detection. The trip marks the transition from local to international cheating.

In Sydney, they complete the first sections of the test as planned, but Bank is seized by anxiety and gets caught. Lynn struggles to memorize the final section, finally remembering enough to finish. She feigns illness to leave the center and is pursued by the administrator, but Bank claims not to know her and she is released.

Returning home, Lynn discovers the scheme was a great commercial success, but she is emotionally broken by the experience and rejects her share of the profits. She grapples with the moral cost of fraud and its impact on those around her.

Back home, Lynn is broken by the experience and refuses her share of the profits. She grapples with the moral cost of cheating and the potential harm to others. The family supports her as she seeks a path to make things right.

Bank returns with plans to expand to the national GAT/PAT exams and pressures Lynn to rejoin. He hints that exposing the affair would ruin her unless she cooperates. Lynn resists but realizes the threat of discovery could ruin them all.

Lynn decides to come clean and tearfully admits her role to her father. He comforts her and helps her file a formal confession to the STIC organization. The act of confession marks the start of her redemption and a vow to repair the damage she caused.