''How to Cheat in the Leaving Certificate'' is a 1997

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

Irish film directed by Graham Jones, in which six teenagers devise a plan to cheat in their Leaving Certificate final school examinations. The film was shot in black and white on Super 16mm and was later blown up to

35mm 35 mm may refer to: * 135 film, a type of still photography format commonly referred to as 35 mm film * 35 mm movie film, a type of motion picture film stock * 35MM 35 mm may refer to: * 135 film, a type of still photography format ...

for theatrical distribution. Many well known Irish faces made cameo appearances in the film.

Plot

Upon being caught cheating in his Leaving Certificate exam and being banned from sitting the exam for another three years, a young man commits suicide. A close friend of his subsequently plots to cheat in his own Leaving Certificate in order to get revenge against the system. With the help of a rag-tag group of friends this young man organizes a complex scheme to steal copies of the test papers from the

Department of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

and, upon winning, show the world he has beaten the system.

Cast

* Eamon Morrissey as Mr. Fornson * Aileen O'Connor as Cara * Garret Baker as Fionn * Lee Dunne as Brian Donnelly * Joe McKinney as Niall *

Mary McEvoy Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

as Charlie McDaid * Philip Bredin as Murphy * Alison Coffey as Elli * Chris de Burgh as petrol pumper (cameo)

Production

The

Irish Film Board Fís Éireann / Screen Ireland, formerly known as Bord Scannán na hÉireann / the Irish Film Board, is the Republic of Ireland's state development agency for the Irish film, television and animation industry. It provides funds for the developm ...

helped fund the film, contributing £90,000 to its production. The film was shot in a six-week period.

Critical reception

Writing for ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', critic

Emanuel Levy Emanuel Levy is an American film critic and professor who has taught at Columbia University, New School for Social Research, Wellesley College, Arizona State University and UCLA Film School. Levy currently teaches in the department of cinema ...

praised the film's "droll humor that is occasionally laced with irony", as well as Jones's "technical panache." He added, "Once the premise has been set and central characters established, the film becomes less funny and more suspenseful regarding the final outcome of the scandalous act. Compensating for the plot’s narrow focus are the helmer’s bold visual style and the intermittently witty voiceover narration."

An Phoblacht ''An Phoblacht'' (Irish pronunciation: ; en, "The Republic") is a formerly weekly, and currently monthly newspaper published by Sinn Féin in Ireland. From early 2018 onwards, ''An Phoblacht'' has moved to a magazine format while remaining an ...

called the film "an irreverent and rebellious diatribe against the Irish education system."

Controversy

A few weeks before the film went on general release in Ireland, the Junior Minister for Education,

Willie O'Dea Willie O'Dea ( ; born 1 November 1952) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Limerick City constituency since 2011, and previously from 1982 to 2011 for the Limerick East constituency. He has served as Min ...

, condemned the film, leading to widespread coverage in newspapers, television, and radio. Anxiety was partly due to the timing of the film's release, which occurred a few months before the annual summer exams. Other projects by Graham Jones, such as ''Fudge 44'', have also caused controversy.

Music

"I Hear You Breathing In", from

Eleanor McEvoy Eleanor McEvoy (born 22 January 1967) is an Irish singer-songwriter. She composed the song "Only a Woman's Heart", title track of '' A Woman's Heart'', the best-selling Irish album in Irish history. Early life and beginnings McEvoy's life as ...

's debut album, ''Eleanor McEvoy'', and "Parachute" by

Something Happens Something Happens are an Irish pop-rock band whose heyday was the late 1980s and early 1990s. The band's lineup consists of Tom Dunne (Vocals), Ray Harman (Guitar), Alan Byrne (Bass) and Eamonn Ryan (Drums). An earlier incarnation of the band ...

are some of the tracks featured in the film.

References

External links

* *
Critic reviews
at tadhg.com

via Graham Jones' official website {{DEFAULTSORT:How To Cheat In The Leaving Certificate 1997 films 1997 independent films Irish teen comedy films Irish black-and-white films Irish independent films English-language Irish films 1990s teen comedy films Films set in 1996 Films set in 1997 Films set in 2000 1997 comedy films Films shot in 16 mm film 1990s English-language films