Exam DVD Movie Review

Exam DVD Movie Review
Exam DVD Movie Review, directed by Stuart Hazeldine, starring Adar Beck, Gemma Chan, Nathalie Cox, John Lloyd Fillingham, Chukwudi Iwuji, Luke Mably, Pollyanna McIntosh, Jimi Mistry, Colin Salmon, Chris Carey
By:stacilayne
Updated: 11-06-2010
 
As eight hopeful candidates get dressed and prepare for an exam which will hopefully lead to a dream job, we watch: A beautiful woman lines her eyes; a handsome man carefully straightens his tie; a delicate foot is slipped into a classic 4" pump; teeth are brushed; hair is tidied, and so on. Everyone puts on their figurative pants one leg at a time, each securing their armor and masks, and insert your own Jungian symbolism here. However — While the opening titles seem straightforward (and reminiscent of the TV show Dexter's), each of these little readying rituals come into play later: a bobby pin is used to unlock a barrier, the spike heel becomes a pic, and the tie… well, you'll just have to see for yourself.
 
While it's a much-less gory reminder of a Saw movie (or, more rightly, Fermat's Room and/or The Killing Room), I still recommend Exam to horror fans because it's a great example of a well-made indie which maximizes minimum space. The bulk of the action takes place in just one room, but the ways in which that room are transformed both literally and metaphorically are impressive, to say the least — first time director Stuart Hazeldine is to be commended for producing a reasonably taut thriller that keeps the viewer guessing until the final frame.
 
Each character begins stock — in fact, they each are assigned nicknames, ala Reservoir Dogs, to suit their stereotype. Foremost is arrogant White (Luke Mably), then there's the calculating Black (Chukwudi Iwuji), enigmatic Brown (Jimi Mistry), and silent Deaf (John Lloyd Fillingham). The women are cool Blonde (Nathalie Cox), evasive Dark (Adar Beck), questioning Chinese (Gemma Chan), and brainy Brunette (Pollyanna McIntosh). As the story unfolds and their sanity unravels in response to the seemingly unanswerable question, things get very interesting indeed.
 
That's not to say Exam is a thrill a second (I confess, I did go tepid on it about 3/4 through, then rallied for the final act), but it's smartly done. The premise, eight people locked inside a windowless room with a confounding question which must be answered within a certain amount of time, stays true to itself throughout. The corporation they want to work for is shadowy and obviously powerful. There's whisper of a strange and deadly pandemic affecting mankind. Everything is just slightly mysterious and off-kilter.
 
The acting is maybe not 12 Angry Men Oscar-worthy, but it's really quite good. The direction could have perhaps been a tad tighter (but the flick is only 90-odd minutes, as it is… perhaps 10 minutes could have been shorn?), but the plot does have nice little tricks tucked within facades (not unlike a Russian nesting doll, or as is referenced in the film, the transformative craft of origami). I was most impressed by the cinematography; when given such limited means with which to work, the usual response of the DP is to resort to loopy trickery or to slip into a static stupor — Tom Wooster does neither. Instead he makes the imagery colorful and dynamic, yet appropriate and believable.
 
If you like thrillers and don't require buckets of blood, then you just might want to take the Exam DVD for a whirl (once). There are no extras on the disc.
 
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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson
 
 
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