Shooting a movie in one location is not only resourceful, but if done right, makes for an enchanting viewing escapade. One such example could be made with the movie Exam. Exam was resourceful, engaging, gripping, and refreshingly mysterious all at the same time. The 2009 movie used an ensemble of at the time, lesser known actors, to deliver a plot that wasn’t too easy but also wasn’t too difficult either. It opened to mostly positive reviews, audiences and critics panning it a decent watch. Decent is being neutral, but in truth, Exam is more than that when looking at it with a fresh perspective.
Eight potentials are competing for a position with a reputable corporation. They are in an undisclosed location, their names are unknown, and they’re given specific instructions not to communicate with the guard or their supervisor, or, to ‘spoil’ their paper in any way otherwise risking disqualification. There are four men and four women each of different ethnicities and cultures, but only one will leave with the job. Initially their back-rounds are left fairly ambiguous, though as things begin to unfold the characters’ lives and ambitions begin to come into focus, revealing more about the job they’re competing for and why they all want it. The entire movie is a mind bender, and is best watched first without any prior knowledge of what the story is really about.
Exam was resourceful, engaging, gripping, and refreshingly mysterious all at the same time.
Writer/director Stuart Hazeldine penned this head scratcher with the assistance of Simon Garrity. The English director relies on the actors and the perplexing circumstances from the writing to make Exam, this having been his first feature length production. He does so with appreciable effect, organizing a sequence of events that require the actors to work together to push the puzzling storyline onward. The actors fulfil the task of keeping things interesting in the span of eighty minutes, a few of them making more than enough use of their screen time. Luke Mably draws an apt amount of attention as ‘White’, casting a shadow of narcissism with a touch of over-confidence that at times sees him loved, other moments despised. Jimi Mistry plays to the blueprint of script, sitting on the side lines until it’s most opportune to speak up. As ‘Brown’, Mistry is patient up until it’s his turn to deliver, then doing so in stimulating fashion. As ‘Blonde’, Nathalie Cox cleverly adds a fair bit of misdirection as she holds off until it’s most crucial. She waits, but when choosing to, makes herself known and reminds the audience the importance of her presence.
Exam is a movie that requires thinking, so lazy viewers can skip this one. It won’t answer the questions all at once, but it is slowly revealing in its design. Stuart Hazeldine is not nearly credited enough for his capable and clever fiction that may not necessarily be relatable to most, but still earns him points for making a quality picture absent of a large budget or massive marketing capital. It’s original, engrossing, and alluring.
