Beyond the Handbook: Thailand’s Bad Students in the Film, Arnold is a Model Student

Abstract

This paper analyzes how Sorayos Prapapan's film Arnold is a Model Student connects to the recent student movement in Thailand through its references to the Bad Student movement's Manual on How to Survive School handbook. The film features
a network of high school student activists known as the Bad Students, who began campaigning against the traditional norms of Thai schools, the government, and even the monarchy in 2020. In addition to closely examining the film and the handbook, this study also explores the different texts and media forms incorporated in the movie and their relationships and interactions. By exploring these unique connections, this qualitative study presents a different approach to discussing the nuanced portrayal of the re-emergence of the Thai student movement in 2020 and conducting film analysis. The study reveals that the film depicts two sides of Thai student activism and enhances the overall message and image of the movement by using the handbook as a point of reference. Through intertextuality and intermediality, the film elaborates on the student activists' message to a broader audience while critiquing the movement and Thai society, demonstrating the power of media in public discourse and activism.