As a prospective Leaving Cert candidate, I went along to this film hoping to pick up a few tips. And I got them. To successfully cheat in the Leaving Cert all you need is: one electronics genius, one desperate candidate, one locksmith, one man who thinks he is a private eye and about £2,000. Simple really.
The initial implausibility of the plot is secondary. The point of the film is that it is possible to cheat the system. This offers hope to all panic-stricken sixth-years out there.
It's essentially an anarchic `beat the system' film. The anarchy inherent in the plotline is accentuated by the grainy black and white picture and generally low budget nature of the film which is certain to be a hit among the school-going population.
This film is relevant to all our lives. The nightmare that is the State exam affects thousands of people all over the country and any tips on how to avoid this nightmare are always welcome.
While it's ostensibly a comedy, the deeper message of the injustice of the Leaving Cert is a very important one in the film. Graham Jones, the director, says: "When an education system rewards one type of intelligence and punishes all others, cheating ceases to be unfair - it becomes important."
The characters in the film span the range of opinions on the Leaving Cert and the different kinds of intelligence. Cara is anti-exam - a school drop-out, she is intelligent in an way unsuited to `the system' - she masterminds the plan. Una is straight laced, pro-exam, desperately trying to defend the system - she is intelligent in an entirely acceptable way.
Ultimately, the anti-exam faction wins out and we see that it is possible, after all, to take on the system and win.
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