The Thinning

Plot

In the year 2041, Earth's resources are nearly depleted by overpopulation, so the UN declares that all nations must cut their population by 5% each year. While some countries remove their elderly and others enforce a one-child policy, in the United States, the answer is 10-241, or more commonly known as the Thinning, a standardized test taken from first grade to twelfth grade. Those who pass continue to the next grade while those who fail are executed.

The film is set in Austin, Texas, where Laina Michaels (Peyton List) is helping a young boy named Simon study for the Thinning. When he is unable to understand the content, Laina reluctantly sells Simon a small contact lens that will solve the questions on the Thinning test for him. Laina uses this money to pay for her sick mother's treatments. On their way to the Thinning exam, Simon is bumped and his contact falls out. The guards are watching him and he is ushered into the building. Without the contact lens, he fails his exam and is eventually executed. Before the test, Laina meets up with her friend Kellan (Calum Worthy), whose father is a teacher at their high school and Kellan frequently logs into his dad's account to gain access to the school's security cameras.

Blake Redding (Logan Paul) is the son of the Texas governor. Although he lives the high life, he is dating a wild girl named Ellie (Lia Marie Johnson). Blake sneaks out of his house to hang out with Ellie one last time before the Thinning and they sneak off to a hilltop pool. While they are kissing in the car, a flashlight is shone on them, held by one of Governor Redding's agents. Blake is taken home and given a lecture by his father.

After arriving at school the next day, The Thinning test is undertaken and Ellie fails. Blake calls his father to try and free Ellie but he refuses. Blake causes a diversion and screams at Ellie to run but she is blocked by students in the hallway and is recaptured. Ellie is executed in the Thinning.

A year later, Laina's mother has died and she is helping her younger sister Corrine study for her first Thinning test. Blake has become cold and distant towards his father since Ellie's death. He is seen making a video in which he explains that he will purposefully fail his Thinning exam in order to punish his father for what happened to Ellie. Blake drops his tape in the mail, but his father's agents remove it and have it delivered to him personally. The agents are ordered to pass Blake even though he only received a 15% on the test, and Laina fails as a result despite scoring 98%. As Laina escapes, the school remains on lockdown and news spreads that parents have no information about what has happened to their students.

Laina and Blake explore through the vents to avoid the guards. Blake, disguised as a guard leaves Laina to go to the Thinning, while Laina goes to the server room to check the scores. To their horror, they find out that test procedures are rigged and have resulted in the wrongful deaths of many with passing scores, including Ellie. Mason King and the DPC track Laina down to the server, apprehend her, and then return to the Thinning.

After photos of the Thinning results are leaked to the media by Kellan, Governor Redding has no choice but to review the results and execute all those who actually failed, including Blake. Laina is greatly upset by this, and after sharing a kiss with Blake she is dragged away by guards. Blake and the other failing students are executed.

Outside the school which has finally lifted the lockdown, Laina is finally reunited with Corrine who passed her exam. Blake is shown in a large elevator which is deep underground. As he slowly wakes up, he sees a girl taking off a white mask. The girl is Ellie, as those put to death by the Thinning are revealed to still be alive and working for the company that makes the tablets for the test.

Cast