Review of Exam (2009) by Paul R — 10 Sep 2012

Writer Director Stuart Hazeldine's ultra low budget claustrophobic psychological thriller looks big budget with it's solid and sharp editing and it's blockbuster worthy production. He has proved you do not need a big budget to set high standards.

The film is very suited to low budget, we have a single room as the setting for the exam, we have 8 reasonably unknown actors and we have a new upcoming writer director, but don't let any of that warp your decision to watch it.

Exam introduces 8 candidates in the final stage of an application for the ultimate job - 8 pieces of paper and 80 mins to answer the question are all that lie before them... trouble is... the papers are blank. Our candidates try to figure out the meaning of the exam putting the viewer thick in the mix and you almost feel like the ninth candidate, constantly trying to figure them all out as well as the question. The small room and super sharp camera work puts the audience right in the room.

The film reminded me of how I felt when I watched "Cube" - It's definitely a people film and if you fancy yourself as a bit of a budding anthropologist and a people watcher, then this is right up your street. It's all about the people and how they all react to this situation of pressure and mystery.

Kudos to the no name cast with top marks to Luke Mably and Jimi Mistry for giving such richness to their characters "White" and "Brown". All very believable and all added to the enjoyment of this film.

I'll definitely be looking out for more of Stuart Hazeldine's work - and so should you.