TIFF 2024: The Assessment Review

This will be one of many reviews during this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.

If there was any genre to try something different, it is science fiction. Often used to deliver social commentary about the current society of which the film was made, they take big swings and though those swings may not always work out, they can be the most daring as they encourage imagination. Music video director Fleur Fortuné looks to bring that same style and sensibility to the genre with The Assessment. Her feature directorial debut, this indie sci-fi drama has a confined nature to it that only reinforces the inherent tension of its unravelling premise. While its commentary may not be the most subtle, what essentially amounts to a three-part character piece, led by Elizabeth Olsen, Alicia Vikander, and Himesh Patel, ultimately works off the strength of its spectacular performances, Olsen and Vikander in particular. Staring off simple enough, the three are immediately put through the ringer as they tried to maintain some sense of order in a world full of disorder. A slow burn that perhaps runs a touch too long, clocking in at near the 2-hour mark, as it systematically pulls back the layers, its becomes that much more captivating. That being said, after hinting to the world as a whole, it’s hard to not have wanted more from it but it’s a fine balance.

Taking place in a bleak future where the government has taken control over all resources, the story follows Mia (Olsen) and Aaryan (Patel), a couple applying to become parents. Ensuring that the world does not become overpopulated, the government instituted a system known as the ‘assessment’ where applicants must pass a test in order to be approved to be parents. Seemingly perfect candidates to be parents, the system dictating their suitability did not appear as forgiving. Tasked to assess them, a woman named Virginia (Vikander) arrived to Mia and Aaryan’s secluded home to stay with the couple over seven days. From there, the tension would ratchet up alongside Virginia’s unusual methods. Constantly pushing boundaries, asking intrusive questions and putting Mia and Aaryan through a series of uncomfortable and/or dangerous situations to test their resolve as parents. Putting them and their relationship to the test, the odds of Mia and Aaryan passing the test proved to be near insurmountable, suggesting that the assessment was designed for applicants to fail.

Besides its impressive production design, the best part of The Assessment is its spectacular performances. In the end, the film would not have worked if not for the chemistry of Olsen, Patel, and Vikander. First, Olsen and Patel shine as a couple whose lives are turned upside down and then put under the microscope in such an intrusive way that their stress and discomfort can be felt throughout, eventually causing a ripple in their relationship. Meanwhile, Vikander shows off more of her range in a much different role than audiences are accustomed to seeing from her. Full of surprises, she is worth the price of admission alone.

The Assessment is a daring albeit unsubtle sci-fi drama that works off the strength of its vision and spectacular performances.

 still courtesy of Prime Video

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.