Exam

Eight exceptionally talented applicants reach the final stage of a mysterious recruitment drive for a powerful organization. They enter a sealed windowless room with a single watchful guard, their futures hanging on a single moment. Over the course of 80 minutes they are asked to answer one simple question, a task that quickly reveals who belongs and who buckles under pressure. The pressure is not just intellectual but moral, as each candidate weighs loyalty, ambition, and personal risk. As the clock ticks, conversations shift from small talk to calculated reveals, while the guard remains a silent observer. What begins as a straightforward test soon becomes a high stakes negotiation of identity and worth. The tension comes from quiet silences and subtle power plays.

Released in 2009, Exam was directed by Stuart Hazeldine and Simon Garrity. It originated as a screenplay, not an adaptation, with Luke Mably White, Chukwudi Iwuji Black, Adar Beck Dark, Jimi Mistry Brown, and Nathalie Cox Blonde.

Worldwide box office for Exam reached about 394,717 against a reported budget of 600,000, marking a modest commercial footprint. The film found most traction through limited theatrical release and later home viewing rather than a wide box office splash.

Exam remains a relatively obscure title in mainstream culture with a small, loyal audience among thriller fans who appreciate tight, claustrophobic setups. It hasn’t produced iconic quotes or widely referenced scenes, but its precise premise and compact execution are sometimes cited in discussions of low budget suspense.

Critics praised the film for its brisk pacing and efficient storytelling given the tight budget. The story probes power dynamics and ethical questions around selection, while performance and timing carry the tension as contestants reveal strategies, fears, and moral boundaries under watchful pressure. Its ending leaves questions about justice and ambition lingering after the credits.