The Assessment

2025

This is why the Academy Awards Reminder List is so important. At the beginning of January, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences puts out a Reminder List of what films and performances have been deemed eligible for that year’s Oscars. There are always strange examples of films not appearing on the list, and there are always films that I never heard about on the list. For 2025, an example of the former is the great thriller Dead of Winter, which somehow played in Binghamton, NY but is not eligible for the Oscars (I assume it’s a matter of not being officially submitted by the studio?). An example of the latter is The Assessment, which has been hiding under the radar on Hulu. All I needed to see was the list entry (The Assessment—Elizabeth Olsen, Alicia Vikander, Himesh Patel), and I tracked it down.

I am a proponent of seeing most films with as little foreknowledge as possible. If you want the full effect of The Assessment, stop reading now and get on Hulu. (It’s also on Hoopla.) That was my strategy, and the choice turned out to be a very good one. If I had seen a trailer beforehand, I am sure that the film would have been significantly less enjoyable and rich. So, last warning—stop now if you want the full experience.

Now that those people are gone, let’s talk a little about the plot. In the future, Olsen and Patel are a couple undergoing “assessment,” a weeklong live-in screening process that will decide if they are allowed to have a child. The always-astounding Alicia Vikander is their assessor, Virginia. She moves into their lavish house to monitor every aspect of their relationship and instigate a wild gamut of mind games to test their personalities and integrity. That’s it. That’s all the synopsis you get. Discover the rest as you go.

All three actors are amazing, with the two women especially thriving off each other’s energy. Virginia and Elizabeth Olsen’s Mia form a complicated set of female foils. Their relationship is in constant flux, and seeing them recognize the changes and adjust—all while assessing each other—is great fun.

OK—maybe “fun” is a poor word to describe this utterly serious, go-for-the-jugular film. “Thrilling” may be more exact. These characters are each an actor’s dream, and the script is masterfully written. How did this film get overlooked?

My assessment: a well-conceived game of hide and seek for three capable actors. I loved it.