director: S. Sashikant
Language: Tamil
Mold: Nayantara, R. Madhavan, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine
Order: 2 hours 25 minutes
Rating: 2/5 stars
Netflix’s first Tamil original film of the year, ExaminationThere is a promising concept that eventually decreases in execution.
S. Based on a story by Sasikant and a story by Suman Kumar, the film attempts to find out the interconnected life of three persons: a cricketer, a teacher and a scientist.
The trailer is a simple yet thought of the thought line: “When life tests you, who are you? Hero or villain?” However, the film fails to follow in a meaningful way with this concept. The story, which could have been deeply influential, finished and felt dissatisfied. Despite the strong performance from the artists, the emotional depth required to connect with the audience is largely missing.
In his role as Kumukh, Nayantara stole the headlines, offering a demonstration, which brings authenticity and depth to his character, earns applause well. On the other hand, R. The depiction of Madhavan’s Saravanan seems to have a sudden change in emotions suddenly and unknown, which is separated from the effect of his character’s journey.
An attempt is made to portray Arjuna as one of the greatest characters, but the film never fully convinces us about its greatness, which eventually makes his downfall feel less impressive.
This is particularly clear in the major moments of the film, where emotional stakes should have been more, but should become flat instead. The runaway pacing makes it difficult for the audience to connect with the characters, and as a result, the emotional weight of the story is lost.
Meera Jasmine’s return to Tamil cinema after a decade is an attraction, and she brings a quiet strength in her role. However, the film focuses more on the characters of Siddharth and Madhavan, which reduced Meera’s performance to some extent.
The biggest defect of the test is the lack of its emotional connection. Despite the strong performance, the chaotic structure of the film and the running visuals prevent audiences from investing really in the story. The major plot points, such as a child with Saravanan’s Kumukh and his sudden change when his life is at risk, is poorly executed. Emotional bets are never fully developed, and the motivations of the characters often come up as inconsistent and unrelated.
While the film had the ability to have a compelling drama, it eventually struggles with its pacing and emotional depth. Some views feel unnecessary and only combine the feeling of chaos, leaving the audience very little to connect emotionally. Writing does not do justice to talented actors, and the film’s failure to develop its characters feels hollow.
Finally, the test is a missing opportunity. The film could have been an entertaining exploration of personal conflicts and victory, but instead, it comes as a crowd and emotionally different story. Despite the concrete performance from the actors, the film fails to give a truly satisfactory emotional experience, making it difficult for the audience to connect with the story to a deep level.
‘Test’ is available to stream on Netflix.
