Part 2/7:
The film opens with two primary characters: Laina Michaels, a diligent tutor, and Simon, a struggling high school student. The introduction of "study lenses," a seemingly innocuous tool that propels Simon into academic success, sets a foreboding tone about the lengths to which individuals will go to succeed in a faltering system. Meanwhile, we meet Edward Blake Redding, the governor’s son, who grapples with the oppressive oversight of his father, Governor Dean Redding.