CIFF: The Exam and Beyond the Hills
By Rob Christopher in Arts & Entertainment on Oct 13, 2012 9:15PM
a scene from Beyond the Hills
Christmas Eve, 1957, Hungary: government secret agent Jung attempts to wrap up his assignments in time to celebrate the holiday. Little does he know that his superior, Marko, is about to initiate an Communist-mandated exam to test his loyalty. But might also Marko himself be given an exam? It'd be unthinkable to reveal more of what happens in The Exam, an elegantly twisty suspense thriller that doubles as a skillful depiction of paranoia and suspicion in the wake of the failed 1956 Hungarian uprising. Plotted more tightly than most American thrillers (it clocks in at under 90 minutes) The Exam is filled with well-drawn characters and handsomely mounted, with excellent use of period music.
The Exam screens 8 p.m. Oct. 15 ($14/$11 discount) and 3:45 p.m. Oct. 22 ($5).
The two girls grew up together in an orphanage, the stronger Alina protecting Voichita from her tormenters. Years later Alina visits her friend, who now lives in a convent. Clearly in the past they had more than just a friendship together and Alina is hoping that Voichita will leave the convent and go away with her. But she is not willing to give up her new life. Alina, in turn, refuses to leave her beloved. What happens next has drawn comparisons to The Exorcist, but viewers should banish all images of a green-skinned Linda Blair from their minds. Beyond the Hills is Cristian Mungiu's followup to 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days, and it's even more intense and disturbing, slowly ratcheting up the tension to shattering effect. He demonstrates once again that a filmmaker can generate suspense without special effects or even a music score. All that's required are believable characters, an isolated environment, and absolute plausibility (in fact Mungiu's screenplay was inspired by the non-fiction novels of Tatiana Niculescu Bran). The tragedy at the heart of the film illustrates the old saying that misery has many fathers; the story may take place in contemporary Romania, but could happen almost anywhere. Not to be missed.
Beyond the Hills screens 8:30 p.m. Oct. 15 ($14/$11 discount). All screenings are at AMC River East 21 multiplex (322 E. Illinois St.)