EXAM: A Notably Tense Iranian Short Film With Interesting Subtext

With Exam, writer-director Sonia K. Hadad and co-writer Farnoosh Samadi expose the familial and cultural demands that an Iranian teenager must confront over the span of 15 suspenseful minutes.

Exam is a riveting short film about a teenage girl named Sadaf (Sadaf Asgari) who lives in Iran. The film follows Sadaf over the course of a single day, as she must carefully consider the virtues of education, the cultural demands of being an Iranian woman, and the demands (however illegal they may be) of her father. Sadaf is first seen studying for a school exam later that day, but she is enlisted by her domineering, albeit largely unseen father, to make a delivery of illicit goods to somebody named Farid before going to school. Already running late, Sadaf is even more stressed when her father pretty much leaves her no choice but to comply. When the customer doesn’t show up, Sadaf is forced to take the package to school with her. After taking the exam, Sadaf is acutely anxious when the administrators of the Islamic school storm the classroom and implement a class-wide bag check, prompting her to do whatever she can to hide the package before the administrator reaches her bag. 

A Gripping Film Of How Much Influence Culture & Family Have  On A Teen

For a teenager to be tasked by her father to transport drugs, it isn’t exactly a common teenage experience. That being said, regardless of how atypical the situation appears, Sonia K. Hadad’s hard-edged direction and Sadaf Asgari’s splendidly quiet and nuanced performance vastly communicate the all-consuming dread and anxiety that have permeated Sadaf’s reality. It is eminently clear that Sadaf never wanted to do any of the crooked behavior in the film, as seen by her sheer reluctance, her fidgety body movement, and her dedication to education. Yet, for Sadaf, aspiring for a life of crime or wholeheartedly condemning it makes no difference; pressured by her father, Sadaf must deliver the package, and for reasons out of her control, she must hide the package from the school administrators who perform a random bag check. 

Watching Sadaf unwillingly become a drug mule is disquieting enough, but once you see the oppressive school she attends — with random bag checks and petty confiscations — the more it seems like the life Sadaf’s living is not her own. If hair straighteners are confiscated and used as justification for a student’s banishment in a school, what would happen if the administrators found drugs on Sadaf? The situation that Sadaf is in is far more serious and perilous than one would have originally thought, at least for an outsider looking in. But, then again, haven’t we all experienced familial pressure and academic pressure to some degree? 

Alireza Barazandeh’s trembling, grainy cinematography elicits a gritty atmosphere that complements Sadaf’s upsetting predicament. The camera turns viewers into distant observers for the majority of the time Sadaf’s on the street, wallowing in worry and uncertain about what to do when the customer doesn’t show. In school, the camera underscores Sadaf’s mounting fear through her slyly dodgy attempts to conceal the damning evidence as the flinty administrator slowly makes her way through the class — in a scene that is brimming with tension and unease. While exceptionally shot and tightly written, Sadaf Asgari’s outstanding performance is what renders this thriller wholly palpable by inducing unsure facial expressions and nervous tics that keep the viewer on the edge of their seat. Exam is a discomforting thriller that elevates tension with startling ease and foregrounds the austerity of being a woman in Iran. 

Exam: Conclusion

Sonia K. Hadad’s Exam is a 15-minute panic attack that doesn’t immediately de-escalate after the initial fear has passed. The fear and paranoia linger for Sadaf, who is boxed into a corner by cultural and familial restraints and is likely left to quietly ponder the legal, moral, and health repercussions of her actions to conceal the package in moments where she can finally breathe, which I can only guess are few and far between. 

Whilst the conclusion is deliberately cold and unfixed, Sadaf Asgari’s superb performance allows one to truly experience the intense panic and the grave risk the teenager is taking by conforming to such arduous demands and roles. After enduring the frightful anxiety of Exam, I am extremely excited to see what Sonia K. Hadad creates next. 

Have you seen Exam? If not, are you interested in seeing it now? Let us know in the comments!

Exam was released virtually in theaters on December 9, 2020. The filmmakers are pushing the short film for Oscar consideration.