Prospective parents spend seven days in the company of a government
employee to determine if they are suitable to raise a child.
Review by
Eric Hillis
Directed by: Fleur Fortuné
Starring: Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Olsen, Himesh Patel, Minnie Driver, Indira Varma, Charlotte Ritchie
At first glance Fleur Fortuné's directorial debut The Assessment might seem derivative of 1972's dystopian sci-fi thriller ZPG. Like that film it's set in a world devastated by climate change, where
humans are the only surviving species and population growth is strictly
controlled. But where ZPG was focussed on Oliver Reed and Geraldine Chaplin's determination
to defy the rules of their society and have a child, the wannabe parents
of The Assessment conform strictly to the rules set by their authoritarian regime.
This core difference between two otherwise similar sci-fi dramas speaks to
how times have changed, from the rebellion and mistrust of authority that
defined the '70s to today's blind party loyalty.
In the future of The Assessment, those considered most valuable live in the one corner of the planet
that can sustain life while the rest are exiled to the toxic wilderness.
The lucky few take a pill that halts the aging process, but the trade-off
for this immortality is strict regulation over who can become parents. Any
couples longing for the pitter patter of tiny feet must undergo an
assessment, which involves a government assigned assessor living alongside
them in their home for seven days to determine their suitability.
Mia (Elizabeth Olsen) and Aaryan (Himesh Patel) are one
such couple. Their talents - Mia is a botanist and Aaryan develops
"virtual" pets to replace now extinct animals - have earned them a place
in this new world but their lives are beginning to feel empty without a
child. Arriving to assess them is Virginia (Alicia Vikander), who
shows up dressed like Billie Whitelaw's emissary of Satan in The Omen and initially behaves just as prim and proper. The assessment
starts with a questionnaire, one which oddly asks a lot of questions about
Mia and Aaryan's sex life. That night, Mia and Aaryan are disturbed to
find Virginia observing them as they make love, which she claims is
another vital part of their assessment. The next morning at breakfast
Virginia begins mimicking a child, refusing to eat her cereal and causing
a mess when she throws a tantrum.
As Virginia's behaviour grows increasingly odd, and more than a little
unhinged, Mia and Aaryan begin to disagree on how to deal with her.
Assuming it's all part of the test, Mia takes a firm approach with
Virginia while Aaryan tends to give in to her demands. Virginia's presence
puts a strain on their relationship, which is exacerbated when they're
forced to host a deeply uncomfortable dinner party where the invited
guests just happen to be their former lovers and secrets are
spilled.
Working with a screenwriting trio of Dave Thomas, Nell Garfath-Cox and John Donnelly, Fortuné cleverly blends three
distinct thriller sub-genres. Vikander's Virginia is simultaneously an
evil nanny type, a monster child and a Single White Female-esque sociopathic stalker. But what's really smart is how The Assessment keeps us guessing as to whether Virginia is following orders or has
gone rogue and is simply messing with this couple. Mia and Aaryan find
themselves in a similar position to the victimised houseguests of the
Danish thriller Speak No Evil and its remake, made to feel increasingly uneasy yet too scared of causing offence to
say anything. Terrified of failing the test, Mia and Aaryan allow Virginia
to push them to the brink of madness.
The Assessment tackles several themes all at once. There's the suggestion that
Virginia, a lowly civil servant, is engaging in class warfare with this
affluent couple, ala Dirk Bogarde in The Servant. The movie comments on our current debate over AI, with botanist Mia
representing those of us who favour reality while Aaryan is essentially a
tech bro who thinks a facsimile of a living creature is no different to
the real thing. And of course in Virginia's behaviour there's the ongoing
debate over how children should be raised. All of these disparate themes
are skilfully interwoven in a way that never feels like we're being
lectured, and like the best speculative fiction it's more interested in
prompting difficult questions than providing easy answers.
Vikander delivers what might be a career best performance, creepy and
sexy in the manner of the best unhinged female thriller villains. She
keeps us on our toes throughout as we try to figure out if she's playing
Virginia, mimicking a child or perhaps something else entirely. Olsen
shines in her most rewarding role since her striking breakout in Martha, Marcy, May, Marlene. If there's a weak link it's Patel, who lacks the gravitas of his female
co-stars, though the script admittedly seems less interested in Aaryan
than the other leads.
Like most thrillers, there are gaps in logic to be found if you go
looking for them here. For the most part we're too engaged with the
narrative to start asking awkward questions, but the movie makes the
mistake of spilling the beans in a series of closing scenes that attempt
to tie the story up in a neat bow but which only serve to highlight a
major plot hole. Excise these scenes and the movie would have finished on
the sort of deliciously ambiguous note that would fuel a post-cinema
drive-home debate. Sometimes it's better to leave a movie with intriguing
questions than unsatisfying answers.
The Assessment is on Prime Video
UK from May 8th.
