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Title: Exam (2009)
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| Complete credited cast: | |||
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Adar Beck | ... | |
| Gemma Chan | ... | ||
| Nathalie Cox | ... | ||
| John Lloyd Fillingham | ... | ||
| Chukwudi Iwuji | ... |
Black
(as Chuk Iwuji)
|
|
| Pollyanna McIntosh | ... | ||
| Luke Mably | ... | ||
| Jimi Mistry | ... | ||
| Colin Salmon | ... |
The Invigilator
|
|
|
|
Chris Carey | ... |
The Guard
|
Eight talented candidates have reached the final stage of selection to join the ranks of a mysterious and powerful corporation. Entering a windowless room, an Invigilator gives them eighty minutes to answer one simple question. He outlines three rules they must obey or be disqualified: don't talk to him or the armed guard by the door, don't spoil their papers and don't leave the room. He starts the clock and leaves. The candidates turn over their question papers, only to find they're completely blank. After the initial confusion has subsided, one frustrated candidate writes 'I believe I deserve...,' and is promptly ejected for spoiling. The remaining candidates soon figure out they're permitted to talk to each other, and they agree to cooperate in order to figure out the question: then they can compete to answer it. At first they suspect the question may be hidden in their papers like a security marker in a credit card, and they figure out ways to change their environment to expose ... Written by Stuart Hazeldine
It's often the simplest concepts that can make for the best movies and with Exam everything boils down to one little piece of blank (?) paper. It doesn't get much simpler than that.
Eight job applicants enter a room where they are told a few rules before they begin and then left to figure out the answer to the one and only question that matters. Doing so will land them the job. Of course, answering the question is only possible when they figure out what the question actually is.
Written and directed by Stuart Hazeldine (from a story by Simon Garrity), Exam is a fantastic example of just how to achieve great results from a low budget paired up with an intriguing concept.
The cast, playing characters simply labelled according to certain attributes "dark", "chinese", "blonde", etc, all do very well. Jimi Mistry is probably the most recognisable face on screen but Luke Mably is great, Nathalie Cox stands out and then there's the presence of Colin Salmon, who may not be around for long but who certainly makes his presence felt throughout. Chukwudi Iwuji may be relatively unknown to many but he also manages to make quite an impression with his character. The cast is so small that I now feel bad if I don't namecheck Adar Beck, Gemma Chan, John Lloyd Fillingham and Pollyanna McIntosh. Oh, and Chris Carey stands and looks focused as the guard.
While there are moments here and there when the economy of the movie starts to encroach on your thoughts it's surprising just how much tension and enjoyment can be wrung out of the material. Ironically, it's only in the final few minute when too many answers are provided that the movie really disappoints. Up until then we get a fine mix of psychological mindgames, some nice wordplay and a fair bit of deceit being used to pare down the competition.
Hazeldine may have some way to go before he proves his worth but this film makes for a fine calling card and certainly puts him on the list as "one to watch" in British cinema.