“The Thinning” (**1/2 out of four) was a reasonably engrossing thriller set in the future in which population control is dictated by a high-school aptitude test; two students (Login Paul and Peyton List) subsequently find out that the test hides a larger governmental conspiracy at play and they set out to expose the truths about society while at the same time running for their lives. Overly derivative of “The Maze Runner”, “Divergent”, and other numerous post-apocalyptic stories about society and government conspiracies but it’s impressively directed with style and skill and never stops moving. Promising directing debut for writer and director Michael Gallagher.