Exam (2009)- Stuart Hazeldine
I'd heard about this movie a long time ago, and it sounded like my kind of film. 8 candidates for a job are put into a windowless room and told to answer one question. The problem? The paper in front of them is blank... so what is the question?
What follows is a wonderfully suspensful eighty minutes as the candidates attempt to figure out what is going on. An intriguing subplot links inextricably into the narrative and adds another dimension to the film, coming together in a very satisfying conclusion. As you'd expect, the tension comes mainly from the candidates themselves, as the pressure gets to each of them, with some great underplayed performances. The film brings together every emotion you've ever had at a job interview and throws up every question you've ever been asked at one, taking the candiates, as well as the audience, to the extreme...
But don't be fooled into thinking this is just a British version of Saw... this is a well-crafted purely psychological thriller. The cinematography and direction is especially slick and well-crafted, equalling any Hollywood film in it's production values, despite it's low budget. Even being in the same room never gets dull.
However, while the story and direction are great, what does let the side down is some of the chunky dialogue, even more noticable against the brilliance of the rest of the film. I hate to say it, but maybe a Hollywood treatment of the script could make this film into something amazing...
Proving that the British film industry is just as capable as Hollywood, this is a suspenseful and puzzling psychological thriller that will have you guessing until the end... Did you get it right? I didn't...
Rating: 8 out of 10
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