The Assessment feels like a facet of real life, where the government has no oversight, and people are stuck playing along.
The Assessment creates a dystopian world where the number of opportunities to have children decreases significantly. Strange, but also forcing an unvarnished look at relationships while showing a governmental stranglehold that audiences only ever hear about, it is a cluttered landscape of emotions. Through odd demands and challenges the assessor presents, it mirrors many aspects of a play-to-lose society where the entirety of control rests with a few who do not have to explain themselves. The Assessment feels like a facet of real life, where the government has no oversight, and people are stuck playing along.
Directed by Fleur Fortune, the movie is close quarters, with three people making up most scenes. The writers, Nell Garfath Cox, Dave Thomas, and John Donnelly (The Pass), pull audiences into a simple story that becomes anything but. The movie stars Elizabeth Olsen (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Wind River) as Mia and Himesh Patel (Tenet, Don’t Look Up) as Aaryan, a couple seeking to have a child. But in this society, people cannot have children unless the government clears it. So, here comes Virginia, played by Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina, Tomb Raider)—the assessor tasked with determining whether they can have a child.
The Assessment Is Governmental Control at Its Most Uncomfortable
Virginia is a government representative, and it’s her job to determine if Mia and Aaryan are fit to be parents. Her job is to stay with them for a week, with access to every aspect of their life and work. On top of that, her decision after the seven days is final. She does not have to provide a detailed explanation; if they fail, they can never try again. They can opt out up until a specific time. If they do, they can apply again in the future. So, at the start, The Assessment has waves of mental discomfort. Still, it also felt like the written Chūnin Exam in Naruto.
But this is not an anime mind game where the powers that be want to test a person’s character. The seven-day ordeal is like an endurance test of horror, pain, and embarrassment. It’s an invasive experience that often feels only obscurely connected to tests for child-rearing. Thus, The Assessment is a tense, even occasionally disturbing film.
Cast Nails It, But Vikander Steals the Show
Given the limited core cast, each must deliver believable and compelling performances. Each of them does that. As Alicia Vikander’s character acts like a child, both Himesh Patel and Elizabeth Olsen fall into the common roles enacted in films. The father is the cool, lenient parent, while the mother is the Debbie-downer. Patel presents that wonderfully. But Vikander and Olsen are the standouts, given that, within the trio, their dynamic is the center. Olsen conveys the frustrations and irritation as a pretend parent, and as someone adrift in a situation, they did not anticipate. Vikander is phenomenal and primal. It’s easy to see her as a child as her mannerisms and expressions shift to that of a child.
The Assessment will not be every audience’s cup of tea. However, it is a stellar film with outstanding performances. It falls apart a bit toward the end. But there is something special in this film and the theme of control without question it explores. With a bleak, dystopian world and a couple longing for a child at its core, there’s desperation at the outset, plus a tragedy waiting as it progresses. The Assessment crafts a searing, odd, and engrossing movie about life, living, and control.
