Exam (film)
Encyclopedia
Exam is a 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
.
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 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 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 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 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 realise 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 condition White tells them the question. He refuses. Black now reveals 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 torture
s her until she admits to being a company employee, but she claims not to know the question and 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, and 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 who is 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, use's 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 compassion
ate. Blonde accepts the position as Personal Assistant to the CEO and shakes Deaf's hand.
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 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.
, the movie received 62% positive reviews out of 29 reviews, with an average rating of 5.9 out of 10.
Stuart Hazeldine
Stuart Hazeldine is a British screenwriter, film producer and director. He lives in London.-Biography:...
, directed by Stuart Hazeldine
Stuart Hazeldine
Stuart Hazeldine is a British screenwriter, film producer and director. He lives in London.-Biography:...
and starring Colin Salmon
Colin Salmon
Colin Salmon is a British actor best known for playing the character Charles Robinson in three James Bond films.-Personal life:...
, Jimi Mistry
Jimi Mistry
-Early life:Mistry, was born in Scarborough, Yorkshire, England to an Indian Hindu father and an Irish Roman Catholic mother. He was brought up a Roman Catholic and attended St. James' Catholic High in Cheadle Hulme before his family moved to Cardiff where he attended Radyr Comprehensive School...
, Luke Mably
Luke Mably
Luke Mably is an English actor, best known for playing Scott Lucas in Sky One's Dream Team, Prince Edvard in The Prince and Me and White in the 2009 thriller Exam. He attended the Birmingham School of Speech and Drama.-Movie career:Mably portrayed White in the thriller Exam under the direction...
, Chuk Iwuji
Chuk Iwuji
Chukwudi Iwuji , usually shortened to Chuk Iwuji or Chuck Iwuji, is a Nigerian-born actor, active in the United Kingdom.-Life:...
, and Nathalie Cox
Nathalie Cox
Nathalie Cox is a British actress and model. She is also known as Natalie Cox. She is best known for her role as Juno Eclipse in the video game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and its sequel.-Career:...
.
Cast
- Luke MablyLuke MablyLuke Mably is an English actor, best known for playing Scott Lucas in Sky One's Dream Team, Prince Edvard in The Prince and Me and White in the 2009 thriller Exam. He attended the Birmingham School of Speech and Drama.-Movie career:Mably portrayed White in the thriller Exam under the direction...
as White - Adar Beck as Dark
- Chris Carey as Guard
- Gemma ChanGemma ChanGemma Chan is an English actress and former model. She is best known for playing Mia Bennett in the BBC's Doctor Who "The Waters of Mars" with David Tennant and Lindsay Duncan; Soo Lin in Sherlock, the modern day adaptation of Sherlock Holmes for BBC One with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin...
as Chinese Girl - Nathalie CoxNathalie CoxNathalie Cox is a British actress and model. She is also known as Natalie Cox. She is best known for her role as Juno Eclipse in the video game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and its sequel.-Career:...
as Blonde - John Lloyd Fillingham as Deaf
- Chukwudi Iwuji as Black (credited as "Chuk Iwuji")
- Pollyanna McIntosh as Brunette
- Jimi MistryJimi Mistry-Early life:Mistry, was born in Scarborough, Yorkshire, England to an Indian Hindu father and an Irish Roman Catholic mother. He was brought up a Roman Catholic and attended St. James' Catholic High in Cheadle Hulme before his family moved to Cardiff where he attended Radyr Comprehensive School...
as Brown - Colin SalmonColin SalmonColin Salmon is a British actor best known for playing the character Charles Robinson in three James Bond films.-Personal life:...
as Invigilator
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: to not talk to him or the armed guard by the door, to not spoil their papers, and not to leave the room for any reason. After asking if there are any questions, he starts the clockTimer
A timer is a specialized type of clock. A timer can be used to control the sequence of an event or process. Whereas a stopwatch counts upwards from zero for measuring elapsed time, a timer counts down from a specified time interval, like an hourglass.Timers can be mechanical, electromechanical,...
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 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 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
Caucasian race
The term Caucasian race has been used to denote the general physical type of some or all of the populations of Europe, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Western Asia , Central Asia and South Asia...
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
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
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 try multiple methods to reveal it: for example, breaking all the lights to cause emergency "ultraviolet
Ultraviolet
Ultraviolet light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays, in the range 10 nm to 400 nm, and energies from 3 eV to 124 eV...
" and "infrared
Infrared
Infrared light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength longer than that of visible light, measured from the nominal edge of visible red light at 0.74 micrometres , and extending conventionally to 300 µm...
" 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
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
firm finding a cure for a disease known only as The Virus. The position they are applying for is "Personal Assistant to the CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
".
Black concludes 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
Voice command device
A voice command device is a device controlled by means of the human voice. By removing the need to use buttons, dials and switches, consumers can easily operate appliances with their hands full or while doing other tasks....
and the group realise 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 condition White tells them the question. He refuses. Black now reveals his wife died of The Virus, and that he knows what will happen if White doesn't get his medication. White eventually passes out
Syncope (medicine)
Syncope , the medical term for fainting, is precisely defined as a transient loss of consciousness and postural tone characterized by rapid onset, short duration, and spontaneous recovery due to global cerebral hypoperfusion that most often results from hypotension.Many forms of syncope are...
after not receiving the medication.
Dark suggests White is a plant
Shill
A shill, plant or stooge is a person who helps a person or organization without disclosing that he or she has a close relationship with that person or organization...
, but Brown accuses Dark of being one also. Overpowering her and tying her to a chair he torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
s her until she admits to being a company employee, but she claims not to know the question and only applied for a better internal position. Blonde releases Dark.
At that moment, White begins to convulse
Convulsion
A convulsion is a medical condition where body muscles contract and relax rapidly and repeatedly, resulting in an uncontrolled shaking of the body. Because a convulsion is often a symptom of an epileptic seizure, the term convulsion is sometimes used as a synonym for seizure...
. 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
Drainage
Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of surface and sub-surface water from an area. Many agricultural soils need drainage to improve production or to manage water supplies.-Early history:...
in the floor. Unable to reach it, Dark appeals to the Invigilator to save White's life, and 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 who is 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, use's 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 compassion
Compassion
Compassion is a virtue — one in which the emotional capacities of empathy and sympathy are regarded as a part of love itself, and a cornerstone of greater social interconnection and humanism — foundational to the highest principles in philosophy, society, and personhood.There is an aspect of...
ate. Blonde accepts the position as Personal Assistant to the CEO and shakes Deaf's hand.
Release
The film premiered in June 2009 as part of the Edinburgh Film Festival and was then part of the Raindance Film FestivalRaindance Film Festival
Raindance is an independent film festival and film school that operates from various cities including: London, New York, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Budapest, Berlin and Brussels...
2009. It was released in UK cinemas on 8 January 2010.
On 11 February 2010, IFC Films
IFC Films
IFC Films is an American film distribution company based in New York, owned by AMC Networks. It distributes independent films and documentaries under the IFC Films, Sundance Selects and IFC Midnight. It operates the IFC Center....
acquired the rights for the US release where it released as part of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival
Santa Barbara International Film Festival
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival is a film festival and non-profit organization, established in 1985, that showcases independent American and international films. The SBIFF line-up includes 20 world premieres and 11 U.S. premieres, with newly expanded 11-day 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
Video on demand
Video on Demand or Audio and Video On Demand are systems which allow users to select and watch/listen to video or audio content on demand...
on 23 July 2010 and on DVD on November 16, 2010.
Reception
According to Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, the movie received 62% positive reviews out of 29 reviews, with an average rating of 5.9 out of 10.