by Zach Kluver, staff reporter
“Exam” is an independent British thriller that follows a group of eight characters that are competing to get a highly prestigious dream job at a bio-engineering firm by the name of DATAPREV. But there’s a catch. Each of them has to take a test that will determine whether they are given the position or not. Each of the characters is led into the room with eight desks and seemingly empty pieces of paper. They are each given a pencil and a few rules. Don’t attempt to talk to the “Invigilator,” the odd man who seems to be running the exam, or the security guard standing next to the door. Don’t “spoil” your paper (what this means is debated in the film). And finally, don’t leave the room. Breaking any of the rules will end in disqualification of the offender, and he or she will not receive the job.
Similar to Sidney Lumet’s “12 Angry Men,” almost the entire plot takes place in one large room–the movie seems to be a bit of a social interaction thought experiment. Although job-seeking might not seem like a terribly exciting movie subject, “Exam” manages to create a tense atmosphere through some of the rougher interactions between characters. Most of the conflict originates from ‘White,’ a rude and tactless man who creates overtly sexist and racist visual cue nicknames for each of the candidates (‘Blonde’ is a blonde person, ‘Black’ is black, ‘White’ is white, etc.), which is the closest to names the candidates get. His main goal, unlike the others, is to be the one and only winner of the test.
“Exam” creates a mysterious and apprehensive feeling in the viewer, and even in repeat viewings, the movie is enthralling and delightful. Oddly, the cinematography is truly one place where this movie shines. Unlike many indie movies, the shots make sense and are fairly clever most of the time. Regardless, the plot is probably the best part of “Exam.” Although a lot of the characters simply sit in the background while the others interact, the ones that play an active role are interesting enough to carry the film through its 100 minute run-time. While the idea of a social experiment has been done in movies before, it is implemented uniquely and to great effect in “Exam.”
If you are looking for a poignant and harrowing thriller movie, or just something interesting among the piles of rubbish films on Netflix, look no further than “Exam.” You probably won’t regret it.
8.5/10
“Exam” is available for streaming on Netflix.
