Exam

This film is about eight candidates who are in the final round of selection for a prestigious job. They have to answer one question in eighty minutes, but the question sheet they have is blank.

The whole film has the same setting and characters throughout, but it is never boring. Not even for one minute. With every single minute, it gets more suspenseful and engaging.

It is such a superb character study, focusing on what people do in stressful, confusing and even helpless situations. it really gets you to think what is the question, which is so painfully obvious once you realise what is the question.

The best thing is that, there is no flaw in the plot. It is not easy to come up with such an intelligent plot. "Exam" has to be one of the most suspenseful, intriguing, clever, well written and thrilling film I have seen in a long time.

Exam (2009)

What a bizarre movie. It's so beautifully filmed, almost virtuosic in its use of focus and close up and light, you almost forget that the plot is a highly contrived package of clever ideas. When you do think about the plot, and the various holes that open up in the logic of it, you are almost forced to enjoy it for the visuals. And for the acting, which has some real high points.

You also marvel at how the entire movie is shot in a single room (with a glimpse of hallway a few times). I suppose you might bow to the film's makers for pulling off so much with so little. The result is intelligent and a little bit suspenseful at its best moments. When it begins it is absolutely fascinating, from the opening scenes establishing the characters to the first laying out of the rules (although there is a drama that reminded me for some reason of "Deal or No Deal" at its tackiest). Then some of the characters break out of the futurist mode and we have normal people vying to win the game, the contest to be hired by the mysterious health products company behind the scenes. (This part will remind everyone of a stylized and a bit false seeming "The Apprentice" even to the point that you might wish for a Donald Trump to appear from behind the dark screen and prod them along.)

By the end, I think most people will either be a bit tired of it all, or mostly incredulous. It pulls out lots of tricks, and we are inevitably a little surprised by the final turns of events. But I'm not sure it lives up to the high standards set at the start. Get sucked in, sure, but be prepared to stick it out with effort.

"Exam" is a wonderful psychological study of eight people who are the top candidates for an important job with a high-level corporation.

The time period is some time in the future. Eight candidates are put in a windowless room, and an Invigilator (Colin Salmon). They have 80 minutes to answer a question.

There are four rules: don't talk to him, don't talk to the guard, don't leave the room, and don't spoil the piece of paper in front of them.

The candidates find the sheet in from of each of them blank.

One tries to write on the paper and is ejected immediately. After a time, one person figures out that they can talk to one another, and they attempt by various means to see what's on the paper.

Lights, liquids, nothing works. Slowly as the clock goes down, the real personalities of the candidates begin to emerge, and we learn more about them.

One of the features aggravating the situation is that there is a plague, something like AIDS, that is killing people, and this company has come up with medications that can help and are working toward a cure.

One of the women has a partner who cannot afford the medication, which is why she is applying for the job. One of the candidates has the disease.

The stress becomes worse and worse as people not only seek to find out the question, but "White" (Luke Mably) tries to manipulate people to break a rule so they can be eliminated.

This is an excellent film, though one has to take into account that it is happening in the future. At least in the present, no one would go through what these people did for a job, especially with a selection process like that. I would have left after the Invigilator talked. So we don't know what's going on in the world.

The film presents a real puzzle, and getting to the solution is a fascinating process for the viewer.

The acting is very good and intense, with Luke Mably having the showiest role. Colin Salmon, the Invigilator, has one of the best voices in the world and has an incredible presence.

Really enjoyed this.

"Exam" is a one-room movie that explores the human psyche. It's a "What Would You Do?" on steroids.

Eight applicants are put into a room with 80 minutes to answer the one exam question, except there's no question seen on their exam sheets. They have to follow three simple rules or else they're disqualified:

1.) Don't spoil your paper.

2.) Don't try to communicate with the guard or the invigilator

3.) Don't voluntarily leave the room.

With these three known rules the test-takers began dissecting their environment around them as well as each other (figuratively) in order to find out what the one question is so they can give the one answer. It was both tense and annoying. You already know at least one character is going to grate your nerves, and in this case just about every character grated my nerves. Still, I was intrigued and I wanted to see the movie through to the end.

Take "Saw" and remove approximately 95% of the torture element, then take 8 candidates, sit them in a room and give them an exam presided over by a security officer who oversees all, as they seek to find the answer to the question that they've been asked by the invigilator of a surreptitiously successful organization. Of course, once they actually find the question first that's easy, or... is it?

To some people this movie will be an absolute bore. To others it will be an enjoyable psychological mystery - albeit more 'who wins the job?' than 'whodunnit?'

Direction, screenplay and acting are all admirable. Oh and lest I forget, the Chinese girl "Gemma Chan" is mega yummy - what a stunning girl indeed!!!

Overall this movie's a 7/10. Definitely worth a watch *if* you like to keep guessing... But if you like your guessing to remain on autopilot throughout a movie's duration, then I'd advise you to avoid this movie.