Exam (film)

Exam
Theatrical poster
Directed by	Stuart Hazeldine
Produced by	Stuart Hazeldine Gareth Unwin
Written by	Stuart Hazeldine Simon Garrity
Starring	Colin Salmon Jimi Mistry Luke Mably Gemma Chan
Music by	Stephen Barton Matthew Cracknell
Cinematography	Tim Wooster
Editing by	Mark Talbot-Butler
Studio	Bedlam Productions Hazeldine Films
Distributed by	Independent
Release date(s)	June 2009 (2009-06) (EIFF) 8 January 2010 (2010-01-08) (United Kingdom)
Running time	101 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

Exam is a 2009 British thriller film written by Simon Garrity and Stuart Hazeldine, directed by Stuart Hazeldine and starring Colin Salmon, Jimi Mistry, Luke Mably, Chuk Iwuji, and Nathalie Cox.

Plot

Eight talented candidates have an examination to join a mysterious corporation. Entering a windowless room, an Invigilator gives them eighty minutes to answer one question. He outlines three rules they must obey or be disqualified: not to talk to him or the armed guard by the door, not to spoil their papers, and not to leave the room for any reason. After asking if there are any questions, he starts the clock and leaves. The candidates turn over their question papers, to find they're completely blank. One frustrated candidate writes 'I believe I deserve...' and is promptly ejected by the guard for spoiling her paper.

One of the candidates, later known as White, points out that it's not what the Invigilator said in his opening statement that counts, but what he didn't say. Thus, he determines not only that the applicants can talk to each other and move around, but also can affect their environment in many ways. Agreeing to cooperate in order to figure out the question, they take nicknames: Black (a Black British man), White (an arrogant Caucasian man), Brown (an aggressive Indian man), Blonde (a quiet blonde woman), Brunette (an icy woman with brown hair), Dark (a woman with black hair), and Deaf (a man who pays no attention to the others). Deaf speaks only in French and—except for a brief moment when he leaves his desk to get a closer look at the timer in the room—remains in his seat. He does notice something and mumbles it in French about 'seeing things clearly'.

At first the group suspects the question may be hidden in their papers and they try multiple methods to reveal it: for example, breaking all the lights to cause emergency "ultraviolet" and "infrared" lighting to activate or urinating on the paper. Meanwhile, the applicants discuss their reasons for being there, as well as the recruiting company, which is a bio-tech firm finding a cure for a disease known only as The Virus. The position they are applying for is "Personal Assistant to the CEO".

Black concludes that the emergency sprinkler system pipes might contain photo developing fluid, and Brunette searches the guard's pockets to find a lighter. White tricks Brunette into lighting her own paper, the smoke activating the sprinklers. However, the guard ejects Brunette from the room for spoiling her paper. White also manipulates Deaf into spoiling his own paper, causing the latter to be escorted from the room; his glasses fall onto the floor. Black tells White he'd like to 'punch [his] lights out,' and the room goes dark. The lights are voice activated and the group realises there may be more voice actions in the room.

White finally claims he knows the question but will not reveal it. Black knocks him unconscious and ties him to a chair. When White comes to, he claims to be infected with The Virus and demands the others give him his medication. They agree on the condition that White tells them the question. He refuses. Black now reveals that his wife died of The Virus and that he knows what will happen if White doesn't get his medication. White eventually passes out after not receiving the medication.

Dark suggests White is a plant, but Brown accuses Dark of being one, also. Overpowering her and tying her to a chair, he tortures her until she admits to being a company employee, but she claims not to know the question and that she only applied for a better internal position. Blonde releases Dark.

At that moment, White begins to convulse. The others determine he really is infected with The Virus and needs a medication pill. Dark attempts to give it to White, but Brown slaps it away. It rolls into a drain in the floor. Unable to reach it, Dark appeals to the Invigilator to save White's life but is escorted out for breaking the rules. Blonde recovers the pill and puts it in White's mouth, quickly reviving him.

When White discovers that they are now only four, he tells them the question is simply to find out who will be the last of the group standing. After a scuffle, White grabs the security guard's gun and, realising it has a fingerprint detector so only the guard can use it, White uses the guard's hand to point it at the others. He demands they disqualify themselves or die. Brown leaves without incident, but Blonde plunges the room into darkness by commanding "Lights out!". White shoots wildly, seemingly killing Black.

Blonde has not completely left the room: her foot is still in the doorway. White sees that the timer has ended. He turns to the glass and demands to be declared the winner. As the guard goes to escort him out, White looks at his watch and realises that there is still time left. A button on the clock resets it, while the other briefly speeds it up to double time. Deaf changed the timer before he left. The guard and White leave the room.

With a few seconds remaining, Blonde picks up Deaf's glasses, along with a piece of glass from the shattered lights, to magnify the back of her paper. There, she sees: "Question 1". Deaf enters the room, followed by the Invigilator. Blonde hands the paper to the Invigilator and says "No", indicating the answer to the first question that was asked at the start of the exam: "Do you have any questions?"

The Invigilator introduces Deaf as the CEO. Deaf is the brilliant but painfully shy scientific mind behind the company. Blonde is offered the job but claims that she isn't sure she wants it now, given that the exam has resulted in a death. The Invigilator suggests she look at Black, and upon examination, she notes that he is breathing and that his bullet wound is nearly healed. The bullets in the gun contained a newly developed agent, capable not only of curing The Virus but also of rapid cell regeneration: "The Magic Bullet".

Knowing the demand for their new product will greatly exceed their production capacity, the Invigilator says that they need someone who is not only able to make tough choices but who is also compassionate. Blonde accepts the position as Personal Assistant to the CEO and shakes Deaf's hand.

Cast

• Luke Mably as White
• Adar Beck as Dark
• Chris Carey as Guard
• Gemma Chan as Chinese Girl
• Nathalie Cox as Blonde
• John Lloyd Fillingham as Deaf
• Chukwudi Iwuji as Black (credited as "Chuk Iwuji")
• Pollyanna McIntosh as Brunette
• Jimi Mistry as Brown
• Colin Salmon as Invigilator

Release

Cinema Poster for Exam

The film premiered in June 2009 as part of the Edinburgh Film Festival and was then part of the Raindance Film Festival 2009. It was released in UK cinemas on 8 January 2010.

On 11 February 2010, IFC Films acquired the rights for the US release where it was released as part of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. The DVD and Blu-ray were released in the UK on 7 June 2010. There was no theatrical release in the US, but IFC Films released the film via video on demand on 23 July 2010 and on DVD on November 16, 2010.

Reception

According to Rotten Tomatoes, the movie received 62% positive reviews out of 29 reviews, with an average rating of 5.9 out of 10.

External links

• Exam at the Internet Movie Database
• Exam at Rotten Tomatoes