Exam is a 2009 British psychological thriller film written by Simon Garrity and Stuart Hazeldine,

directed by Hazeldine, and starring Colin Salmon, Chris Carey, Jimi Mistry, Luke Mably, Gemma
Chan, Chuk Iwuji, John Lloyd Fillingham, Pollyanna McIntosh, Adar Beck and Nathalie Cox.

Contents

 1Plot
 2Cast
 3Production
 4Release
 5Reception
o 5.1Awards
 6References
 7External links

Plot[edit]
The film is set in an alternate history, present-time United Kingdom. Eight candidates dress for what
appears to be an employment assessment exam. They enter a room and sit at individual desks.
Each desk has a paper printed with the word "candidate" and a number from one to eight.
The Invigilator, a representative of the company, DATAPREV, explains that the exam is 80 minutes
and consists of only one question, but there are three rules: The candidates must not talk to the
Invigilator or the armed guard at the door, must not spoil their paper, and may not leave the room. If
they do, they will be disqualified. He asks them if they have any questions, then leaves.
As the exam starts, it turns out that the papers are otherwise blank. Within minutes, the Chinese
candidate is disqualified for spoiling her paper by writing on it. After her ejection, the seven
remaining candidates realize it is permissible to talk and collaborate since it was not forbidden by the
rules. One candidate, "White," assigns nicknames to each candidate based on hair color and skin
color: Black, White, Brown, Blonde, Brunette, and Dark, and Deaf for the one candidate who does
not speak or respond to the group. The few times Deaf communicates, it's in French and is
confusing to the others. In the hour that follows, the candidates use the lights, their bodily fluids, and
fire sprinklers in attempts to reveal hidden text on their papers, to no avail. They speculate on the
exam's purpose and the nature of the company whose identity is shrouded in mystery. Dark says
that the CEO is highly secretive and has not been seen since the IPO. It is gradually revealed that
the company is responsible for a miracle drug designed to treat a condition afflicting a large part of
the population due to a viral pandemic. In the chaos, White takes control of the group and engineers
the disqualifications of Brunette and Deaf for spoiled papers.
White taunts the others, saying he has figured out the question but will not tell them. Black punches
White in the face, knocking him unconscious, and ties him to a chair. As White passes out, he
pleads for his medication, implying he has the virus, but some of them do not believe him. Brown
then turns his attention to Dark, who demonstrates a lot of knowledge about the company's internal
workings, and eventually tortures her into revealing that she works for the company. It is revealed
that Brown is a carrier of the disease. White then goes into convulsions, proving he has the disease.
Dark pleads to the Invigilator for help and is disqualified.
Blonde retrieves the medication for White, which was stolen from him earlier by Brown, and uses it
to revive him. The others release White and demand to know the question. White suggests that
there is no question and the company will simply hire the last remaining candidate. Black steals the
guard's gun, but it requires the guard's fingerprint to fire, giving White time to retrieve it. White forces
Brown to leave the room at gunpoint, disqualifying him. He forces Blonde to leave; as she exits the
room she turns off the voice-activated lights, allowing Black to attack White.
The lights come back on after Black is struck by a gunshot. Blonde is hiding in the hallway, still
holding one foot inside the room, technically not having left the room. Before White can kill her, the
exam timer runs to zero. White then addresses the Invigilator, sure of his success, but he is
disqualified. It is revealed that Deaf had earlier set the countdown forward by a few minutes. Blonde
then remembers that Deaf had been using glasses and a piece of broken glass with an exam paper
earlier. Taking the abandoned glasses, she finds the phrase "Question 1." on the exam paper in
minuscule writing.
Blonde then realizes that Question 1 refers to the only question asked of the group by the Invigilator
at the beginning of the test ("Any questions?"). She answers "No." The Invigilator then enters and
reveals that Deaf is actually the CEO of the company and a scientist rather than a businessman or
administrator. Deaf's research had found the virus cure, but also discovered a method of rapid cell
regeneration which is capable of curing both the virus and many other "stubborn mutations", literally
"the gift of life" for millions of people. The bullet that hit Black contained this cure, and he awakens
healed. With the desperate need for the drug and a limited supply at any one time, the company
needed an administrator capable of making tough decisions with an attention to detail while showing
compassion for her fellow man, all traits that Blonde displayed during the exam. Blonde eagerly
accepts the job.