Science fiction hasn’t been scary because of aliens or disasters for a while now — it’s people who are the real source of horror. Especially people like Alicia Vikander’s character in The Assessment. It’s one of those stories where nothing terrifying actually happens — but you still want to hide.
The Assessment: When a Smile at the Wrong Time Is Enough to Condemn You
Mia and Aryan live in a perfect future: there’s a dome above their heads, and artificial intelligence lives in everything — from pillows to stovetops. Everything is ideal… except for one thing — a child. To get state approval to have one, an inspector arrives. Her name is Virginia, and she’ll be living with them for a week.
That’s when the real nightmare begins.
Alicia Vikander Delivers a Performance That Chills to the Bone
Virginia isn’t an executioner, a tyrant, or a villain. She’s polite, logical, even caring. And that’s exactly what makes her so inhuman. She knows what Mia eats for breakfast, how often Aryan smiles, and when they kiss. She watches, calculates — and slowly crushes their dreams.
What The Assessment Has in Common with Mother! and Black Mirror
This film combines the creeping dread of Black Mirror with the suffocating intrusiveness of Darren Aronofsky’s Mother!. The story is set in the future, but the emotions it triggers feel terrifyingly present. Where does care end and control begin? When does a utopia turn into a cage?
There are no cyborgs or monsters in The Assessment. But it’s one of the most uncomfortable — and possibly most powerful — films of the year.
