‘The test’: how much do the ideals of the past cost?

In 2016, screenwriter Jordi Vallejo successfully premiered the comedy “El test”, with which he proposed, as a parlor comedy, a dilemma: what would happen if someone offered to give 100,000 euros in hand or, instead, wait ten years and that figure would rise to one million? A question that served to show the seams of a capitalist system similar to that of the law of the jungle, in which it was evident that the choice of one action or another aroused completely different passions and motivations, at the same time it served to put at naked the deepest feelings of some characters whose layers were gradually falling away.

Clearly, the show was a success, managing to be on the bill for several seasons at the emblematic Alcázar Theater in Madrid, along the lines of hits like “El nombre”, “La cena de las idiotas” or “A wild god”. Obviously sooner or later it was inevitable to see his film adaptation, which is now out in theaters, directed by Dani de la Orden and starring Miren Ibarguren, Carlos Santos, Alberto San Juan and Blanca Suárez taking over from Maru Valdivieso, Antonio Hortelano, Luis Merlo and Marina San José, the cast of the latest performances of the opera in the Spanish capital.

Interesting decision, since De la Orden makes its debut in terms of parlor comedy style. With Vallejo in charge of being the screenwriter of the film adaptation of his own work, “El test” tries to escape its more theatrical character by changing the original setting (a luxurious penthouse in the city center) for a huge mansion in the most exclusive and even further away. That change in terms of production design it allows the film to expand its theatrical and parlor comedy nature, even if it takes away that feeling of inability to escape.

However, This does not prevent the film from retaining much of the spirit of the original work, especially in relation to the four main characters. It’s fascinating how a dinner with friends can degenerate into an exercise in turning on the fan and spreading grudges that seemed buried, scolding at the wrong time or sentimental instability. In that line, the film has a certain spirit similar to that of the notable ‘Perfect Strangers’one of the few cases in which the parlor comedy was born in the cinema and then moved to the theater.

An acid parlor comedy that shines for its quartet of actors

And it is there ‘The test’ shines, thanks to its quartet of actors. Alberto San Juan moves like a fish in water in the most rogue role in the filmthat of Toni, who represents that self-made man who has obtained all that money can buy; Both Carlos Santos and Miren Ibarguren act as a counterpointthe first is a clear reference to the common reality of much of society, while the second is a reflection of that minority that seeks to be its own Gallic village, although in reality it hides a tremendous terror of making its own decisions. The fourth in this discord is Blanca Suárez, who offers one of her most extreme interpretationsbeing the opposite of Ibarguren, which represents a cold determination, although it also hides a tremendous personal restlessness.

It is the background of each of these two couples, the four friends, which elevates ‘The test’, which is a remarkable parlor comedy, more along the lines of “Knock knock”, “Wednesdays doesn’t exist” or “Swarm”. De la Orden succeeds in his first experience in this type of comedy, thanks to a screenplay that knows how to respect the original spirit of the four characters, who, in terms of black humor, are an accurate reflection on the complexes of today’s society which, certainly, acquire more value in times of uncertainty such as the one the world is going through.

Decidedly, ‘The test’ reminds us once again how important it is to enjoy a good comedy on the big screen, as it allows the public to feel more closely that sense of complicity typical of the genre. If you add to this that it has four actors in a state of grace, the mischievous smile is more than assured.

Note: 7

The best: Its four actors are formidable.

Worse: It adds characters who contribute nothing and situations that delay the atmosphere of the parlor comedy, it has an epilogue that demolishes what appeared to be an extraordinary ending.