Cert TBA
119 mins
BBFC advice: TBA
Every few months I have a recurring nightmare that I have turned up for a university exam completely unprepared.
It is more than 30 years since I took my last exam (to qualify as a senior journalist) but the horrors of the end-of-year classroom cut deep.
Therefore, I was in a cold sweat during the opening scenes of Claire Simon's The Graduation as the fly-on-the wall camera recorded the entrance exams to La Femis, the famous French film school.
This is a documentary about the selection process which struck me as even more cruel than auditions for the X-Factor. It is where dreams are fulfilled or shattered.
My difficulty with The Graduation is that it lingers too long over its various scenarios.
For example, watching a lecture theatre of people take an exam does not provide the highest strand of entertainment.
Sure, it evoked painful memories of biting nails, chewing pens, twirling hair being handed extra paper but it didn't grab.
Much more interesting was when the film moves to the candidates offering different potential movie ideas and talking about themselves to admission panels.
The difference between those who are prepared and those who are not is remarkable as are the reactions of their interviewers.
As with any entrance interviews, there are some very bright young people who answer with great imagination. Others bluff and bluster and there are others who are clearly far too nervous to do themselves justice.
It reminded me of the hundreds of job interviews I carried out during my career as a newspaper executive but here the panels seem to see themselves akin to Simon Cowell and co. and appear to be playing up to the camera.
This observation led me to feel very sorry for the poor candidates who performed badly. Their failings at such a young age are there for the world to see and this did not seem right.
It struck me that the problem is that cinema is so subjective it must be so difficult to choose who should enter the industry.
And it became clear that this dilemma was causing problems for the selection committees who were divided over the ideal characteristics of successful candidates.
In an industry where there are such varied talents, how can there be an agreement over who will make it?
Regardless, The Graduation demonstrates the tough first hurdle candidates must overcome.
Reasons to watch: it demonstrates the intensity of trying to get into a high grade academy
Reasons to avoid: it is a process which is relatively mundane
Laughs: none
Jumps: none
Vomit: none
Nudity: none
Overall rating: 6/10
Star tweet
Thomas W. Grande @MrDude_o_o
People on MUBI compare Claire Simon's work, THE GRADUATION with the works of Wiseman.
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