Desire to have children – film “The Assessment”: Expert says no

The fact that our resources on earth are finally finally and that there will be significant distribution struggles is no longer a particularly original look at our future. Various films and series are devoted to the subject. In the meantime, it only depends on nuances. Civil war states, the search for a last patch of earth where life is still possible or our future reproductive practice: these are the large guardrails of the future -oriented films and series.

An interesting accent shift can be observed in particular when it comes to the question of how we reproduce in the future. Is still central to “Gattaca” (1997) to deal with moral and ethical questions of genetic manipulation or selection (do we want that? Are we allowed to do that?), Such considerations in current cinema productions such as “Baby to Go” (2024) and now also in the feature debut “The Assessment” of the French music and advertising video director Fleur Fortuné play at all. The fact that life only arises artificially, parents either have the necessary money or are genetically and socially privileged is accepted as given.

There are no longer any doubts about how new life arises. The political rules that determine that only a few people have (may) have (may) are apparently not questioned due to increasing resources. So it is about the fact that children can get those who have the necessary social position, accordingly also has the money to pay for expensive breeding outside the uterus (it is certain that the biologically discriminatory exclusive ability of the female body has come to an end).

The fact that life only arises artificially, parents either have the necessary money or are genetically and socially privileged is accepted as given.

While “Baby To Go” is primarily concerned with pregnancy in Dystopia, “The Assessment” is devoted to the history of every parenthood. Mia (Elizabeth Olsen) and Aaryan (Himesh Patel) want to get a child and have already overcome the first hurdles by doing important professions for society (botanist and AI expert). Now, like in an assessment center, you have to undergo various exams for highly paid Bullshit jobs to get state permission for a baby. However, these tests are not a multiple-choice questionnaire, then the matter would have been done after a few hours, but for the aptitude test, for seven days (Bible!) The strict virginia (again Bible!) Recorded by Alicia Vikander as an expert. If she comes to the judgment that the two are not suitable, it was forever with the desire to have children.

Alicia Vikander plays this woman inspired by the Amish or the Federation of German girls so ice cold and stoically that you have to be afraid of putting a child in this society at all because of her aura. During sex, she also looks at to find out how the relationship is about the balance of power and trust. But her spuky appear becomes even more blatant. On the second day, Virginia behaves like a two -year -old toddler, puts her new parents with food, devastating the apartment. Mia and Aaryan are supposed to show that they have this with the need -oriented upbringing. Human fear of being assessed becomes a permanent state here, and from this alone the film pulls its horror. Maximum uncertainty arises because nobody knows which criteria Mia and Aaryan are according to.

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The tasks that Virginia puts on the two are becoming increasingly bizarre, one is asking itself more and more whether the expert has her own agenda or that she is no longer part of the “normal” procedure.

Director Fleur Fortuné designs a fascinating scary world in “The Assessment”. The film mostly lives from the dark interior of the house, which is reminiscent of an underground swimming pool or a 60s sauna landscape. We rarely leave the house of the two, which is more similar to a bunker than a lovingly furnished family nest, the windows more shooting shears than light sources.

The film focuses very much on convincing aesthetically, which is too short, which more or less subtle effects actually has the constant examination situation on the relationship between Mia and Aaryan. It is essential for this test structure that there are existential tensions, but this crazy chamber game does not go beyond the expected conflicts, including a plot twist that is unnecessary at the end, which then takes the parabolic. Apart from that, this oppressive staging designs a world that needs to be prevented by all means of the mind. At the moment, however, it looks a little dark.

“The Assessment”: Great Britain, Germany, USA 2024. Director: Fleur Fortuné. With: Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Olsen, Himesh Patel. 114 min. Start: April 3.