There’s a catch though there is no visible question.
Tensions rise and alliances form and break as the candidates give a shot to outdo each other.
However, it doesn’t take long for confusion to ensue and tensions to unravel.
Image by Federico Napoli
‘Exam’s Stripped-Down Setting Breeds Psychological Mayhem
Examskips fancy sets and sweeping views.
The film banks on its characters and their mental tug-of-war instead.
The lone room turns into a character itself.
Eight candidates for a highly desirable corporate job are locked together in an exam room and given a final test with just one seemingly simple question. However, it doesn’t take long for confusion to ensue and tensions to unravel.
It cranks up the stuffy atmosphere and the gnawing unease of the candidates therein.
Its bare-bones approach sucks viewers into the mystery much like the candidates.
The no-frills approach cranks up the tension while immersing the characters’ mind games into the viewer.
It relentlessly shows how the uncertainty of the situation brings up deep-rooted fears, insecurities, and buried traumas.
Some characters become introverted and suspicious; others flail about in frustration.
The introduction of an underlying viral pandemic adds to the tension.
Image via Bedlam Productions
Beyond the surface tension,Examsubtly reveals the characters' psychological states.
Exam’s tease of a loomingsci-fi atmospherethickens the plot and its thriller elements.
Way before ‘Thanksgiving,’ Eli Roth was telling horror stories that bucked expectations.
Crowning the movie’s thriller experience are its plot twists, which are intricately woven into the narrative.
Some of the candidates are revealed to be different from what they initially claim to be.
It is as much a mockery of the characters' intellectual abilities as it is of the audience.
By exploring this multicultural cast,Examreflects today’s modern workplace scenarios in a globalized corporate world.
“I remember seeing one room or contained thrillers when I was younger and being affected by them.
It’s just two guys in a room with a telephone and a man.
I was on the edge of my seat watching that movie.
Examis currently available to stream on AMC+ in the U.S.
WATCH ON AMC+
