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Elizabeth Olsen and Alicia Vikander are set to star in new thriller The Assessment, which is set in a dystopian future where an “assessor” determines your ability to be a parent.
It’s quite a concept, with the sci-fi story set in a world where Earth has been hit by climate crisis, leading its characters to be based in a partitioned, isolated area away from the parts of the planet that were hit by a disaster that almost wiped out humanity. This has led the government to control reproduction.
Elizabeth and Himesh Patel play married couple Mia and Aaryan, who invite an assessor Virginia (played by Alicia) into their home, but they are disturbed when she begins to act like a child, needing to be fed and bathed. Call us intrigued.
Here’s everything we know so far about The Assessment.
The Assessment plot
The official plot synopsis for the film reads: “In the near future where parenthood is strictly controlled, a couple’s seven-day assessment for the right to have a child unravels into a psychological nightmare, forcing them to question the very foundations of their society and what it truly means to be human.”
In an interview with Variety, Elizabeth explained that it will cause audiences to reflect on parenthood and our “own innate rights”.
“It allows space for you to reflect on your own innate rights,” she said. “It allows you to reflect on the resources we use on this planet, allows you to reflect on why do I want to become a parent? Who gets these resources? Why do you deserve to use resources?
“And so I think there’s so many things that are elegantly offered for an audience to walk away thinking about without giving you a thesis statement. You get to have those thoughts and experiences all wrapped up in a game that ultimately these characters are playing with one another. So there’s this absurdist humour and drama as well to it.”
The Assessment cast
Joining Elizabeth and Alicia will be Himesh Patel, Minnie Driver, Indira Varma, Nicholas Pinnock, You star Charlotte Ritchie and Leah Harvey.
The Assessment release date
The film will drop on Amazon Prime Video on 8 May.
The Assessment trailer
Here’s a taster of the dystopian drama – Alicia’s character Virginia in particular seems very haunting and creepy. We can’t wait to see more of this story.
