Review: Exam (15)***

Everyone has a dark side – or at least a portion of their personality they prefer others not to see. In Stuart Hazeldine's maddeningly intriguing Exam an octet of strangers is gathered in a sealed room to take an examination that will lead one of them to a top job with a mysterious corporation.

Four men. Four women. A bare, antiseptic room. Eight tables and eight chairs. But why the implacable armed guard watching their every move?

Over the course of 80 minutes barriers are broken down and true traits are revealed as the group struggles to understand the purpose of the exam. What is the answer to a question not yet asked – and what will each and every one of them do to succeed?

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Shot with originality and precision on a single set, Exam has the feel of a stage play. In fact, Hazeldine and co-writer Simon Garrity have the courage to embrace the overtly theatrical sensibilities of this drama as it moves from psychological thriller to all-out law-of-the-jungle chiller.

That stage dynamic gives the cast – mostly unknowns save for Luke Mably, Jimi Mistry and Colin Salmon, the latter in a cameo – the opportunity to explore some full-on histrionics.

Ostensibly the star, Mably gives full rein to his id and rampages through half a dozen different characterisations as teamwork and co-operation give way to violence, interrogation and torture. Ruthlessness camouflaged by a thin veneer of corporate professionalism rapidly becomes the rule of the mob.

A nasty little flick that owes much to The Apprentice crossed with 12 Angry Men, Exam is an engrossing portrait of ambition gone awry. Claustrophobic, disturbing and sinister, it hints at what may actually occur as the world changes and those desperate to succeed (whatever their motives may be; Hazeldine offers a variety of reasons) have to do battle to achieve their warped dreams.

On limited release