SummaryIn the free-spirited San Francisco of 1985, Frankie (Scott Marlowe) confronts the challenges of being an understudy in a modern dance company where he's taunted to "dance like a man!" Frankie embarks on a budding relationship with Todd (Matthew Risch), a veteran dancer in the same company and the bad boy to Frankie's innocent. As Frankie and To... Read More
Directed By:Chris Mason Johnson
Written By:Chris Mason Johnson
Test
Metascore
Generally Favorable
70
User score
Generally Favorable
6.5
My Score
Drag or tap to give a rating
Hover and click to give a rating
Where to Watch
Not available in your country?
ExpressVPN
Get 3 Extra months free
$6.67/mth
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
70
71% Positive
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
29% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Jun 12, 2014
100
As Frankie, Mr. Marlowe delivers a quiet, moving performance of such subtlety and truthfulness that you almost feel that you are living his life.
Jun 9, 2014
75
Adept as both timely character study and epochal drama, Test wonderfully manages fully formed humanism without sentimentality.
User score
Generally Favorable
6.5
55% Positive
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
27% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
18% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
Jun 11, 2014
9
This film is easy to watch and very enjoyable. Yes, the main subject is heavy - the AIDS crisis and the very difficult and personal decision to get tested for the virus. But it is handled with great skill and hopefulness. The characters are real and very convincing and, perhaps, the best part is the modern dancing which was a pure joy to view. The dancers are pros and great actors also. With a small budget to work with, this film is an excellent production on a very difficult subject. Many cheer for this memorable movie. It's a shame it's not drawing bigger audiences. Perhaps it would have fared better in a film festival.
Jun 29, 2015
7
In the spirit of celebrating that USA has just legalised same-sex marriage equality, a double bill of two recent indies from American queen cinema cannot be more felicitous, and hopefully we will get more LGBT characters in mainstream productions in the near future from Hollywoodland. keep reading my review on my blog, please google: cinema omnivore, thanks!
Jun 12, 2014
70
When Frankie, an understudy in a small dance company, is given his chance to perform, he, and Test itself, come to life.
Jun 5, 2014
70
Writer-director Chris Mason Johnson's important, assured drama best succeeds as a snapshot of a moment in time when every gay man is forced to decide how AIDS will change his life.
Jun 16, 2014
67
Clumsy metaphors and contrived attempts to articulate Frankie’s fears—especially as he awaits the results of the titular test—diminish the emotional authenticity engendered by Daniel Marks’ hyper-real cinematography and the film’s incisively curated soundtrack.
Jun 5, 2014
60
Test is a slow burn that builds to an impressive end, although the rest of film is in need of that same kind of forward-driving energy.
Jun 12, 2014
40
The AIDS scare remains as much window dressing as do other period details such as rotary phones and cassette tapes. Test seems to be about dance above all, with choreographed montages filling the bulk of its running time.
Jun 6, 2014
6
Set at the time of the aids crisis the crux of the film revolves around one guy's decision to take the HIV test and the resultant anxieties that then prevail. The paranoia about one's body is well expressed and, thankfully, the film is not downbeat. In fact with its 80's pop soundtrack, including the always poignant 'Small Town Boy', the movie is both a visually and audibly pleasing time passer. Yes, it has all been done better before, but with its dance background, gentle humour and unusual views of San Fransisco you could do a lot worse.
Production Company:
- Serious Productions
- Gloss Studio
- San Francisco Film Society
- Kenneth Rainin Foundation
- Horizons Foundation
- San Francisco Film Commission
- RIchard and Elizabeth Fullerton Family Found.
- Bob Ross
Release Date:Jun 6, 2014
Duration:1 h 29 m
Rating:TV-MA
Tagline:Dance like a man. San Francisco. 1985.
Website:
Awards
L.A. Outfest
• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations
Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Seattle International Film Festival
• 1 Nomination
