Today’s quick review: Exam. Eight candidates for a position with a major pharmaceutical company are given one final test. They are locked together in a room and each given a blank sheet of paper and a pencil. They have a set amount of time to answer the exam’s one question without despoiling their piece of paper or asking the proctor any questions. The winner gets the job, and the losers get nothing. The only catch is that no one knows what the question is. Tensions mount as the candidates try everything they can think of to figure out what the question is so they can be the first to find the answer.
Exam is a one-room thriller with an interesting premise and decent execution. The simple setup quickly unfolds into a web of intrigue between the candidates as they find they can discuss the exam with each other. Their search for the question involves scouring every part of the exam room as well as experimenting with the paper itself, but any false move that breaks the rules of the test results in immediate failure and expulsion from the exam room. The cutthroat nature of the position leads to betrayals and violence, and between the mystery of the exam and the conflict between the candidates, Exam maintains a high level of tension throughout.
Exam does suffer from a few issues that diminish its quality. The low budget of the film shows in its cast and one-room set, although its premise works just fine without big-name actors or extra scenery. The characters are unlikable and unmemorable. The setting outside the room is deliberately vague: a future ravaged by a disease whose only cure is controlled by the company conducting the exam. The concept is contrived and based on an extreme, literal interpretation of the rules that defies good sense. These issues do not detract from the film as a thriller, but they do hurt it as a movie.
Overall, Exam is an intriguing thriller that delivers on its premise. Watch it if you are interested in puzzles, mysteries, or high tension in a minimal setting. Skip it if you prefer lighter films, more active thrillers, or fleshed-out characters and settings.
6.9 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for a strong premise, a decent execution, and weak supporting aspects.