Check out the official trailer that arrived for review, a dystopian sci-fi thriller starring Elizabeth Olsen, Alicia Vikander, Himesh Patel, Charlotte Richie and Minnie Driver.
A dystopian future for parents
The assessment, set in a world where resources are scarce and tightly controlled, follows MIA (Olsen) and Aaryan (Patel). The assessment, directed by Virginia (Vicander), a cold, unreadable evaluator, takes place over seven days and pushes the couple to their physical, emotional and psychological limits. As the challenges intensify, Mia and Aryan are forced to face their deepest anxiety, the rifts of their relationship, and the true nature of the test itself.
According to the official summary, the rating is “a mind-bending thriller that sheds light on the tangled complexities of relationships. It interrogates the ethics of a world where control is appreciated more than freedom, and everything has an evil touch of dark humor.”
Personal connection to the director’s story
Fleur Forchin, the music video director (the credits include music videos of Drake, M84 and Travis Scott), was inspired by her own experiences regarding the struggle for infertility when shaping the film. “The day I decided to take my kids into this world, I had no idea what kind of journey I was about to begin,” she shared in a statement from the director. She explained the long, emotionally and physically demanding process of trying to conceive, leading her to deeply reflect on why people choose to have children.
“For me, it all came back to the same question I was asking myself. Why do they want kids? That was the emotional core of the film,” she explained. “That’s why Mia and Aryan (Elizabeth and Himesh) endure anything to pass the test, and why Virginia (Alicia) goes far beyond their sanity to make them fail.”
Working with a powerful cast
Fortuna praised her cast for bringing depth and nuance to their roles. Of the Olsen, she said. “For years I was thinking of Lizzie because of Mia’s personality. I knew she was so real, generous and grounded, but in a very subtle way.” She described Vikander’s portrayal of Virginia as particularly impressive, saying, “When I first met Alicia, when I confessed how scary she was to play the part, she knew something amazing in that part. I already knew what she could do, but I wanted to go to some areas that she or she or anyone else had been to before.”
The film’s setting plays a key role in strengthening the theme, and Fortune explains: This setting serves as a suitable ratiophor for the world they live in. โ
release date
The rating is scheduled to hit our cinemas on March 21st, followed by a digital release on April 8th.
