The Student follows a young teenager that locks himself in his room studying. Believing that the results determine his future and life. In his way, his older brother reminding him that his studies isn’t that important. 

The process of this storyline came from personal issues that I felt and a lot of people that can also relate. Especially on the idea of someone taking one step too far – and the consequences can lead to a personal reflection of oneself.  Furthermore, wanting to push the boundaries of creating a dramatic story that would involve actors screaming or crying. Which was a challenge for me and the actors before the shoot even started. Fast forward to the end of the project – what I got out of most for this project was the collaboration between me and the actors. For myself, I wish to not have all the answers – I’m always welcomed to new ideas or interpretations to the script. Because it’s not showcasing laziness or the lack of ideas, I just believe that having their voice in the project can lead to a better performance and outcome for the final film. Saying every single detail of what I envision into their performance can be very theatrical and too perfect for my taste. I want the imperfections, I want their voice and I want their take on this fictional character I’ve created. Gladly, my actors were very communicative on how they viewed the characters they’re playing, which is why I felt the performances in this film were very strong. A couple of improvisations and blocking I have allowed the actors to do – which can not only further deepen their performances to what they prefer but create raw authenticity and nuance.

-Tai