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Two ASEAN films that are both fun and meaningful
The following two films offer something for viewers of all ages
by being both crowd-pleasing and sophisticatedly executed.

Bad Genius is easy to watch even for those who have never seen a Thai movie. By combining the temptation to cheat?something that many encounter at least once during their school years?with elements of a slasher film, viewer eventually have an edge-of-your-seat experience. After being accepted to a prestigious high school, Lynn soon gains a reputation as a genius for her extraordinary memory and quick wit. The one time she “helps” a close friend on a test reels Lynn into a cycle of academic dishonesty and, ultimately, a global cheating scheme with very high stakes. Bad Genius’ plot is a tense, captivating rollercoaster ride that makes the viewer think about the absurdities of our educational systems and the deeply-rooted wealth gap that fuels them from one generation to the next. It not only marked the first time a Southeast Asian film opened the New York Asian Film Festival, at its 16th edition in 2017, but also received the Jury Award for Best Feature and the Screen International Rising Star Asia Award. Furthermore, Bad Genius gained a no. 1 box office rating in every market it was released in, including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, and Viet Nam.

Ramen Teh is a film by Singaporean “people’s director” Eric Khoo, who put Singaporean film on the global cinematic map through Mee Pok Man, his first full-length film released in 1995, and created a sensation in 1997 at the Cannes Film Festival with his film 12 Stories. Ramen Teh is a heart-warming story about food and the love that binds a family. After the death of his Japanese father, who operated a ramen shop, Masato learns things he never knew about his Singaporean mother who died long ago. By going to Singapore in search of traces of his mother’s life, Masato uncovers, one by one, stories about his family. Khoo, through repeatedly juxtaposing ramen and bak kut teh (foods that, respectively, stand for Japan and Singapore), explores the history and culture of the two countries and attempts to bring about the healing of past wounds. Khoo believes that food is “an integral part of Singapore’s cultural identity” and has “universal emotional resonance” and a wonderfully mysterious way of bringing people together.