THE ASSESMENT – Review by Liz Whittemore
The Assessment is a mesmerizing debut from director Fleur Fortuné. The film follows a near-future couple hoping for the right to bear a child. The government sends an individual to analyze every aspect of your life, determining whether or not you are qualified to be a parent.
Victoria’s line of questioning feels more like an interrogation, and her mysterious tests push Mia and Aaryan to their limits. As the seven days become more fraught with pressure and inappropriate demands, past trauma bubbles to the surface for all parties.
The film features brilliant appearances from Minnie Driver, Nicholas Pinnock, Charlotte Ritchie, and Indira Varma.
Himesh Patel plays Aaryan. His ability to play along with Victoria comes at the sacrifice of Mia’s patience and his mortality. Patel reels you into a morally grey area.
Elisabeth Olsen is Mia. Olsen delivers a strong facade of a hurt woman. Proud, passionate, and slowly softening as she connects with Virginia, Olsen leaves it all on the screen through unfathomable grief.
Alicia Vikander gives Victoria an authoritarian approach to her role. Vikander is unsettling. Her physical demeanor matches her habit-like costuming. Victoria is an invader, fulfilling a rigid, almost offensive, patriarchal structure. But that is just the beginning. Vikander has a second role you’ll never see coming. She is a revelation.
The production design is extraordinary. The jewel-toned rooms are architecturally severe and inspired by Piet Mondrian. Aaryan’s virtual workspace feels inspired by Ray Bradbury’s The Veldt. Mia’s greenhouse lab is the only place of warmth. The contrast speaks volumes.
The story will break you by design. Fleur Fortuné masterfully creates universal scenarios that induce tension, and then she cranks up the volume. The Assessment authentically mimics the anxiety and stress between couples once children enter their world. There is no denying the film is a twisted form of therapy and trauma exercise and a surprising climate change warning. It perfectly captures the pure chaos and sacrifice of parenting. The Assessment is a horrifying power trip.
