The Assessment

Okay, so this film is... pretty weird to say the least, but a fascinating and well-done directorial debut from Fleur Fortuné. An experimental sci-fi piece about wannabe adoptive parents testing out their potential in the form of their challenging, insane assessor - who no doubt would've been kicked from day one had I been in the couple's shoes. The days spent during this assessment is something out of a nightmarish Black Mirror episode - emotions run heavy: you feel frustrated, stressed and highly disturbed during moments where this "accessor" pushes the limit of boundaries that should be set within experiments like this. The performances are solid - Elizabeth Olsen and Himesh Patel play the couple with conviction, and you especially feel for Olsen's character (Mia) as you learn about her own daunting childhood and the way she didn't receive all the love a child deserves. On the flipside, you have the terrific Alicia Vikander as their assessor. She's unpredictable and leaves you at the edge of your seat as you wonder "What ever could she do to these two unfortunate souls this time?" Vikander's role mirrors her previous work in Alex Garland's Ex Machina - the atmosphere in general does feel similar to that film as well. And speaking of the aesthetic, a filmmaker that could've tackled this weird and cringe-worthy tale in another dimension would have to be Yorgos Lanthimos. The film does makes me wonder how things would've fared in his take - including a little more structured padding on some of the story. But what an interesting film, something that will stick in the back of my mind for a while.