The ᴀssessment Review: A Conceptually Compelling Sci-Fi That Takes Too Long To Make Its Point

This review was originally published on September 12, 2024, as a part of our Toronto International Film Festival coverage.

In the near future, if a couple wants to have children, they can only do so after being given the green light following a successful seven-day ᴀssessment. In the world created by writers John Donelly and Mrs. and Mr. Thomas (Nell Garfath Fox and Dave Thomas), there’s control of just about everything. This future society is also where people take pills to remain youthful and alive for far longer than typically possible. The ᴀssessment,

directed by Fleur Fortuné, is conceptually sound and looks incredible, but while it’s psychologically involved and provoking, it doesn’t go beyond the surface of its ideas.

Mia (Elizabeth Olsen) and Aaryan (Himesh Patel), an architect of the controlled world they live in, are desperate for a child. After pᴀssing initial examinations, Virginia (Alicia Vikander) is ᴀssigned to ᴀssess the couple in their home for a week. Virginia asks them invasive questions, watches Mia and Aaryan have Sєx, and pretends to be a child to learn more about what kind of parents they’d be. As the ᴀssessment approaches its end, the more Virginia works to psychologically torture the couple. The ᴀssessment and right to have a child brings its fair share of questions and tension.

The ᴀssessment’s Worldbuilding & Cinematography Are Standouts


Elisabeth Olsen in The ᴀssessment

When it comes to building a near-future world and having us believe it exists, The ᴀssessment does a fabulous job. Mia and Aaryan live in isolation, but what is in and around their home paints a picture of what this future looks like. It’s realistic enough to the world we live in today, but there’s a stiff, clinical feeling that permeates the characters’ surroundings that gives away the difference. This is a world that hasn’t erased the past, however, with the old world still existing right outside its borders.

Fortuné has a firm grasp of what this world is meant to represent and the feelings it evokes in us for the nearly two hours we’re immersed in it.

Mia’s mother left to return to the old world, and it’s a point of contention between her and Virginia, who seems awfully judgmental of that fact. When the couple’s friends come for dinner, in a stellar and riotously funny scene that includes an excellent Minnie Driver, the world expands with new information, and nothing is forced in that regard. Fortuné has a firm grasp of what this world is meant to represent and the feelings it evokes in us for the nearly two hours we’re immersed in it. I was in awe but trapped at the same time.

Magnus Nordenhof Jønck’s cinematography sharpens the colors of the costumes and set while making them dim enough to feel distant and cold. The coloring of the inside is a contrast to the vivid light of the sun and the clear blue of the ocean that sits just outside the house.

The ᴀssessment Is Conceptually Sound But Fails To Deeply Explore Its Themes

The Cast Does Great Work Regardless

Mia struggles the most with the ᴀssessment because, despite wanting a child, she also craves the realness the process robs her of. This becomes even more clear as she’s faced with the confines of her situation — in the ᴀssessment and in her marriage. The ᴀssessment explores themes of reality versus a controlled environment and what the characters are willing to do to remain in it out of fear of facing uncertainty in the old world. It’s fascinating to watch how this affects the characters’ dynamics, but the film doesn’t venture far enough to be wholly satisfying.

The ᴀssessment is thoughtful and compelling, but it just doesn’t reach the heights needed to keep its momentum.

The ᴀssessment itself goes on for too long. By the time certain revelations come to light, there isn’t enough time to sit with them before the film ends. Characters make decisions that make sense for where their story goes, but there’s a lack of depth that leads to some narrative disengagement. When much of the film is about the chaos of Virginia’s actions, the ᴀssessment’s fallout doesn’t get any time to develop, and the ramifications for the characters thereafter feel underwhelming. The ᴀssessment is thoughtful and compelling, but it just doesn’t reach the heights needed to keep its momentum.

This lack of exploration doesn’t affect the performances. Olsen has been making some great role choices, and here is no different. Mia is haunted by her mother’s departure to the old world and doesn’t seem fully settled into her life, something the ᴀssessment brings to the surface. Olsen portrays Mia with a frustrated impatience with a side of unexpected tenderness. Patel’s Aaryan is aloof, often disappearing into his simulation lab to create things that are almost real but not. He goes through a lot too, but he’s more patient and content to live in a world of his own creation.

Vikander is the highlight of the film. She’s completely unhinged as Virginia, oscillating between uncomfortable behaviors and wild tantrums to straight-laced corporate decorum in the span of minutes. It’s just too bad The ᴀssessment fails to explore her character any further considering the ending. The film may have its faults, but it’s still a thoughtful rumination on the willingness to ignore reality and what people are ready to give up — including their dignity — to get what they want despite losing their freedoms. Fortuné has a good grasp of the world, even if she doesn’t push more than needed.

The ᴀssessment premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival and is now playing in theaters.

Related Posts

Jurᴀssic World’s Dinosaur Mating Scene Was More Graphic In Original Script

Jurᴀssic World’s Dinosaur Mating Scene Was More Graphic In Original Script

Jurᴀssic World Rebirth writer David Koepp explains how one scene took a more explicit turn in the original script. Rebirth is the latest attempt at rebooting the…

James Gunn’s DCU Update Hints At David Corenswet’s Superman Future Appearance

James Gunn’s DCU Update Hints At David Corenswet’s Superman Future Appearance

As Superman is about to arrive in theaters, James Gunn already has more plans in store for the Man of Steel in the DC Universe. After years…

How Powerful Is Sentry In The MCU Compared To DC’s Superman?

How Powerful Is Sentry In The MCU Compared To DC’s Superman?

Marvel Studios has finally adapted Sentry, who is often dubbed the MCU’s Superman, into live-action, but whether the character is as powerful as the Man of Steel…

New The Fantastic Four: First Steps Clip Gives Glimpse Into Dinner With Marvel’s First Family

New The Fantastic Four: First Steps Clip Gives Glimpse Into Dinner With Marvel’s First Family

A new clip from The Fantastic Four: First Steps outlines dinner time with Marvel’s First Family. The Fantastic Four: First Steps is the final Marvel movie of…

WW2 Battles In Clint Eastwood’s M Box Office Bomb “Accurately Convey The Extent Of The Savage Fighting” Says Marine Corps Leader

WW2 Battles In Clint Eastwood’s $96M Box Office Bomb “Accurately Convey The Extent Of The Savage Fighting” Says Marine Corps Leader

Clint Eastwood’s WWII movie may have been a $65 million box-office bomb, but the battle scenes still get high marks for accuracy from a Marine Corps expert….

Gimli Actor Reveals One Of His Most Hilarious Lines Was Improvised In Lord Of The Rings

Gimli Actor Reveals One Of His Most Hilarious Lines Was Improvised In Lord Of The Rings

The Lord of the Rings star John Rhys-Davies revealed that one of his most hilarious and memorable lines was improvised. Appearing in the celebrated Peter Jackson Lord…