The good news is life is peaceful and healthy and, perhaps, unending. The bad news is it sucks. Such is the post-apocalyptic future as visioned in The Assessment, a world in which we live forever, but everyone is sterile, begging the question, “What, exactly, are you living for?”
Mia and Aaryan (Elizabeth Olsen and Himesh Patel) want a baby. They’re not alone. As everybody in this future world is sterile, a lot of people want a baby. In a way, this couple is lucky; they’re stable, self-sufficient, productive, and loving – they’ve passed the initial barriers and made it to The Assessment.
In a way, they’re unlucky, for they have come to The Assessment.
The couple lives in a beautiful remote house by the sea. They don’t seem to lack for anything. Aaryan is a programmer who designs realistic computer pets for people (actual pets were outlawed years ago). Mia has her own extended greenhouse, where she grows food and cultivates rare plants. Every day, she swims in the ocean for physical and mental health. They seem to be happy.
And one day, their assessor, Virginia (Alicia Vikander) arrives. She doesn’t give them warning. She needs to stay in their house for seven days to evaluate them. The first thing she does is complain about the accommodations; Mia and Aaryan offer their bedroom. They have no choice. Virginia holds all the power in this relationship for she alone determines whether or not Mia and Aaryan will merit a child.
On Day 1, Virginia watches them have sex. Aaryan realizes she’s there
in the doorway, silently observing, and screams. Virginia encourages them to continue; their relationship is being evaluated in all forms.
On Day 2, Virginia assumes the persona of a willful and menacing child, first refusing to eat breakfast, then instigating a food fight which requires a bit of medical attention, then being a general brat. This will be her default persona for the week.
The trials only gets worse from there.
The Assessment is a challenging film; in a way, it calls out its audience for being soft and naïve. Are there worlds in which you can’t have children? Of course there are. Are there tradeoffs you make to get what you want? Well, sure, but not like this. On the one hand, this is a fresh and exciting look at a possible future of freedom and wealth and self-sufficiency. OTOH, this is as fascist a future as any man has ever created. Deliberately keeping an entire population sterile is, effectively, genocide, no matter how long people live. This seems a very sharp commentary on modern life, fascism, and the dangers of ceding personal autonomy. The Assessment is a clever film and I’m sorry I found it too late to include it among my favorites for 2024.
A future couple, Aaryan and Mia
Opted for a personal panacea
Unfortunately, for their time
Child-bearing is a crime
Even imagining is a rebellious idea
Rated R, 114 Minutes
Director: Fleur Fortune
Writer: Nell Garfath Cox, Dave Thomas, John Donnelly
Genre: Our screwed future
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Anti-Fascists
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Fascists
