THE ASSESSMENT (AMAZON PRIME) (2024)
SYNOPSIS: Set in a world destroyed by climate change. Part of society has created a parallel world for itself. Life is controlled and optimized, and the desire to have children is also not left to chance. The lives of a successful young couple are therefore put under close scrutiny by a female assessor over the course of seven days.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Imagine a married couple who wishes to have children but must first host an assessor in their home for seven days to determine if they’re fit to become parents.
That’s the premise of The Assessment.
In a world where the old world has collapsed, the new world survives through advanced breakthroughs in medicine and food production. But with progress comes control. Natural conception is now forbidden. The only way to raise a child is by passing an intensive evaluation process overseen by a government-appointed assessor.
Among the top 0.1% of applicants are Mia (Elizabeth Olsen) and Aaryan (Himesh Patel), an accomplished couple with impressive credentials. Assigned to evaluate them is Virginia (Alicia Vikander) who will live with them for seven days. But this is no ordinary assessment. Virginia is a woman seemingly devoid of empathy, cold, intrusive and unsettlingly erratic. She often behaves like a child, throwing tantrums and engaging in reckless behavior. She even makes personal demands of Mia and Aaryan. The question quickly becomes: are these part of the test or just selfish manipulations?
To be clear, The Assessment is not an easy watch. It unfolds with a slow, deliberate pace, steeped in tension and ambiguity. The dystopian world it depicts is never fully explained. You’re left to piece together what went wrong through fragments of dialogue and subtle hints perhaps during an uneasy dinner conversation. For the most part, the film locks you into the increasingly volatile triangle of Mia, Aaryan and Virginia.
As the evaluation progresses, the tests become more disturbing. Mia and Aaryan’s relationship begins to fray under the scrutiny. Accusations and trust issues emerge. Is Virginia exposing uncomfortable truths or is she simply destabilizing the couple for her own amusement? The film raises more questions than it answers, drawing unsettling parallels to real-world anxieties around parenting, privacy and societal expectations.
The finale attempts to tie up some narrative threads but many mysteries remain unresolved perhaps intentionally so.
Alicia Vikander, no stranger to introspective sci-fi (as in Ex Machina), delivers a chilling and layered performance. Elizabeth Olsen is effective as Mia, a botanist who’s created a stunning greenhouse sanctuary. Himesh Patel takes on perhaps one of his most complex roles to date as Aaryan, an artist who designs virtual pets. Director Fleur Fortuné, in her feature debut, presents a thoughtful and atmospheric work. The film’s striking production design and minimal reliance on visual effects lend it a grounded, tactile quality.
Still, The Assessment’s measured pacing and cerebral themes won’t appeal to everyone. It’s a film that asks for patience and rewards close attention but not necessarily with comfort or clarity.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
