Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Marvel's Spider-Man Secret Lair promotional image

    Get a Look At the Secret Lair x Marvel’s Spider-Man Superdrop

    09/08/2025
    Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions gameplay still

    Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions Is All About Adventure (with Friends)

    09/08/2025
    Chord in Persona 5 The Phantom X

    Now Is The Perfect Time To Jump Back In ‘Persona 5: The Phantom X’

    09/05/2025
    Cosmic Spider-Man card details

    [EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW] The Spider-Man Set Gets A 5-Color Legendary Spider

    09/02/2025
    Lee Corso from College Football GameDay in EA Sports games

    EA Sports Always Understood Lee Corso’s Legacy

    09/01/2025
  • Indie Games
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Apple TV+
But Why Tho?
Home » Film » TIFF 2024 REVIEW: ‘The Assessment’ Thrives In Its Controlled Chaos

TIFF 2024 REVIEW: ‘The Assessment’ Thrives In Its Controlled Chaos

Sarah MusnickyBy Sarah Musnicky09/28/20245 Mins Read
The Assessment
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

The Assessment is equally chaotic and devastating, capturing the nuanced complexities of parenthood with topical questions that many have found themselves asking on their own journey. Who is worthy of becoming a parent? People have a multitude of opinions as to who shouldn’t and should have kids, often based on arbitrary measures that no one can live up to, including some of the best parents. Now, give the power to decide who can and cannot have children in a world in crisis, and you have the premise of Fleur Fortuné’s The Assessment.

Set in a dystopian future, climate change has made resources scarce—so much so that the government has forced sterilization through a regiment of drugs onto its populace to control its numbers. If couples want a child, they must apply first for analysis. If they pass the initial application round, they qualify for the titular assessment. That is where we find botanical scientist Mia (Elizabeth Olsen) and her husband and geneticist Aaryan (Himesh Patel). On paper, the two would be considered by many to be the ideal parents. This should be a cakewalk for them.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Once the assessor, Virginia (Alicia Vikander), arrives, the power imbalance between the government representative and the couple is instantaneous. Failure is not an option. If the two fail the test, they are forbidden to try to apply again. This is their one chance at a child. The stakes are high and incredibly clear to the viewer. Given one shot at conceiving, it opens the doors of psychological exploration and boundary-pushing—something that Vikander’s Virginia takes full advantage of—for better and worse.

The world of The Assessment and its backstory are thoroughly realized. The simple, sterile design of Mia and Aaryan’s home is striking. Pops of color are rare, symbolic of the lack of life on the planet. Dialogue fills in the gaps, with Mia and Aaryan’s line of work standing out in significance. The reminder of the “old world” lies in spoken words, with the threat of the past always lurking around the corner. This fear guides every action, but natural desires still arise. Past desires can’t run away forever. No matter how heavily regulated.

Mia prefers the comfort of nature, cultivating the plants that are, in their way, her children. She is the nurturer, even if she bristles easily. In contrast, Aaryan prefers the comfort of his lab, obsessing over his work and finalizing every detail. Despite this, he craves a family of his own. This stark difference between the two becomes all the more deep as time passes, with each falling into their prospective genderized roles and the stereotypes that come with those roles.

Virginia puts Mia and Aaryan through the wringer, finding the couple’s sore spots and tearing them open for the whole world to see. Each new discovery unveils a layer to Patel’s and Olsen’s performance and shifts the relationship. It’s not always a drastic change, but the energy between them shifts and changes; it is electric. With each new violation, the heart breaks. The performances, along with John Donnelly’s, Nell Garfath Cox’s, and Dave Thomas’s screenplay, make this so.

Patel and Olsen ground the scenes while Vikander lives an actor’s dream. The Assessment features Vikander at her most depraved, even as she fully leans into a childlike persona. If people had considered having children before, Vikander’s performance would likely have inspired people to forego the effort. The line between reality and simulation blurs, leaving the couple and the audience questioning the assessor’s real intentions. It is a testament to the writing, direction, and Vikander that we’re steps behind.

This is why the final twenty minutes of The Assessment are a slight letdown. Rather than let the mystery surrounding Virginia and the titular assessment linger in the air, the decision was made to reveal all the cards. The needless exposition undercuts the mystery and depth of emotional impact and adds little that would surprise surrounding the world our character lives in.

With the mystery stripped away, the final fates of our characters resonate weaker than they should. But it’s not any less striking. No one is spared the rawness of the assessment and its aftermath, with each character’s decision aligning with everything the writers and performers left behind. The lingering shot on Olsen’s face before the credits roll solidifies this.

The Assessment will provoke lots of thought. As someone who has made hard reproductive decisions, I found myself thinking a lot about the government’s impact and influence on birth and the pressure placed on prospective parents long before they conceive. Going to such an introspective place made it clear the full breadth of impact that Fortuné‘s personal experiences with conceiving had in how layered and complex The Assessment became.

The ending may rankle viewers, but The Assessment is almost perfect. Despite its dystopian future and the agonizing nature of the test, this film hits at core anxieties and painful truths. The pressure to conceive, succeed, and sacrifice are the realities of becoming a parent. But there is no such thing as perfection, and that harsh reality and what that means makes The Assessment so devastating.

The Assessment played as a part of the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.

The Assessment
  • 8.5/10
    Rating - 8.5/10
8.5/10

TL:DR

The Assessment is equally chaotic and devastating, capturing the nuanced complexities of parenthood with topical questions that many have found themselves asking on their own journey.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleFANTASTIC FEST: Breaking Down In ‘Bring Them Down’
Next Article RECAP: ‘9-1-1’ Season 8 Episode 1 — “Buzzkill”
Sarah Musnicky

Sarah is a writer and editor for BWT. When she's not busy writing about KDramas, she's likely talking to her cat. She's also a Rotten Tomatoes Certified critic and a published author of both fiction and non-fiction.

Related Posts

The Long Walk (2025) film review promotional image
9.5

REVIEW: ‘The Long Walk’ Is The Most Heartfelt And Heartbreaking Stephen King Adaptation

09/11/2025
Natasha O’Keeffe in Whitetail
6.5

TIFF 2025: ‘Whitetail’ Is An Intimate View Of A Woman Stuck In Time

09/10/2025
Love Brooklyn
6.0

REVIEW: ‘Love, Brooklyn’ Rests on Pretty

09/10/2025
Park Jeong-min in The Ugly
7.0

TIFF 2025: ‘The Ugly’ Is A Harsh Exercise In Self-Reflection

09/09/2025
No Other Choice
9.0

TIFF 2025: ‘No Other Choice’ Delivers a Bleak Vision of Capitalism

09/09/2025
Molly Lewis in Whistle
8.0

TIFF 2025: ‘Whistle’ Is A Breath Of Fresh Air

09/07/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
The Long Walk (2025) film review promotional image
9.5
Film

REVIEW: ‘The Long Walk’ Is The Most Heartfelt And Heartbreaking Stephen King Adaptation

By Kate Sánchez09/11/2025Updated:09/11/2025

The Long Walk is a brutal watch. Equally heartfelt and heartbreaking, it’s one of the best adaptations of Stephen King’s work.

Black Women Anime — But Why Tho (9) BWT Recommends

10 Black Women in Anime That Made Me Feel Seen

By LaNeysha Campbell11/11/2023Updated:12/03/2024

Black women are some of anime’s most iconic characters, and that has a big impact on Black anime fans. Here are some of our favorites.

EA Sports FC Icons Match promotional image from Nexon News

2025 Icons Match Returns With Football Legends Bridging The Pitch And Video Games

By Kate Sánchez09/03/2025Updated:09/03/2025

NEXON has announced the return of the ‘2025 Icons Match,’ a live event that brings a full roster of legendary players to the pitch.

Gojo Jujutsu Kaisen - But Why Tho (2) Features

Everything To Know About Satoru Gojo

By Kate Sánchez09/07/2023Updated:02/16/2025

Satoru Gojo is the heart of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 — now, heading into Cour 2, here is everything you need to know about the character.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here