Thoughts #10: Exam
Released in 2009, Exam is written and directed Stuart Hazeldine. Haven’t heard of him? That’s okay - he really hasn’t done anything ever. We shall call it his big screen debut.
Exam follows the story of eight talented candidates who have reached the final stage of selection to join the ranks of a mysterious and powerful corporation. The candidates begin by entering a windowless room, whereupon an Invigilator gives them eighty minutes to answer one simple question. The dark and mysterious Invigilator outlines three rules the candidates 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.
The story that follows may seem predictable and suit following to other classic “locked-in-a-room” films, and it is for the most part. We can anticipate chaos and death much like most of these films want to explore, in a inner-self-realization way. We can also expect a “surprise” ending where nothing was what it seemed. That being said, there was certainly something about this film that kept me wanting to turn the page. Something that kept me awake long past my bedtime.
Without quoting any corny, cliche tag lines like “how far would you go for the perfect job?”, Exam may follow in the footsteps of very similar thriller films, but it also provides its own anecdotes with interesting characters, and of course a “surprise” and satisfying ending. I suppose I am a sucker for a Usual Suspects ending.
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