Test
Promotional release poster
Directed byChris Mason Johnson
Written byChris Mason Johnson
Produced by
  • Alan Balian
  • Chris Mason Johnson
  • Chris Martin
Starring
CinematographyDaniel Marks
Edited by
  • Christopher Branca
  • Chris Mason Johnson
  • Adam Raponi
Music byCeiri Torjussen
Production
companies
  • Serious Productions
  • Gloss Studio
Distributed by
Release date
  • June 7, 2013 (2013-06-07) (Seattle International Film Festival)
Running time
89 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$250,000
Box office$19,000

Test is a 2013 American drama film written and directed by Chris Mason Johnson, starring Scott Marlowe and Matthew Risch. The film is set in San Francisco in 1985, during the early years of the AIDS crisis. It follows Frankie, an understudy for a contemporary dance company, as he pursues a sexual relationship with another, more experienced dancer while fearing the unknown and navigating the stigmas of the time. The film premiered at the 2013 Seattle International Film Festival, and was screened at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival. It won Jury Awards for Best American Dramatic Feature Film and Best Screenwriting at Outfest in Los Angeles, California, and the Alan Ira Dusowitz Emerging Filmmaker Award for a feature film at the Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.

Plot summary

Test is set in San Francisco in 1985, shortly after the launch of the first effective HIV test, and depicts the effects of the AIDS crisis on members of a contemporary dance company based in the city. The film follows understudy Frankie, who prefers to escape the bullying of harsh graffiti and speculative news headlines by walking around listening to music on his bright yellow Walkman. While deeply concerned about possibly having contracted the disease, he strengthens his friendship with Todd, a bad-boy veteran fellow dancer who provides him with encouragement with his dancing and with whom he navigates the risks and hopes associated with the disease while pursuing a sexual relationship with him.

Cast

  • Sergio Benvindo as Sergio
  • Evan Boomer as Tyler
  • Kevin Clarke as Bill
  • Kristoffer Cusick as Walt
  • Rory Hohenstein as Tommy
  • Madison Keesler as Jennifer
  • Scott Marlowe as Frankie
  • Matthew Risch as Todd
  • James Sofranko as David
  • Damon K. Sperber as Dr. Corbett
  • Myles Thatcher as Sam
  • Katherine Wells as Molly

Production

Chris Mason Johnson wrote and directed Test, which he also co-produced with Chris Martin and edited with Christopher Branca.[1] A portion of its post-production budget received a pledge of $35,600 from 179 backers on the crowd funding platform Kickstarter.[2] Further grants for the production of the film came from the Horizons Foundation, the San Francisco Film Society, and The Kenneth Rainin Foundation. [3] The film was shot in part at the Joe Goode Annex Studio in San Francisco.[4]

The music for Test was composed by Welsh-born composer Ceiri Torjussen, who visited the 1980s dance scene to create his 80s retro synth score, which provided the film with a uniform and consistent sound throughout. Sixteen music tracks were released by MovieScore Media on June 3, 2014, and made available digitally on major music platforms.[5]

Release

Test had its world premiere at the Seattle International Film Festival in 2013,[3] and premiered in Europe at a screening in the Panorama section of the 64th Berlin International Film Festival.[6][7] Variance Films screened the film in thirteen U.S. cities,[8] including New York City and Los Angeles, during the summer of 2014.[1] It was released on DVD on June 17, 2014, by Wolfe Video, distributed by Wolfe Releasing,[9] and made available on all major streaming services.[10]

Reception

Box office

Early weekly box office sales for Test averaged $1,228 per theater and peeked in week 5 on July 3, 2014,[11] earning a total domestic gross of $18,823.[12]

Critical response

Test received generally favorable reviews from film critics. In Slant Magazine, Clayton Dillard writes, "Adept as both timely character study and epochal drama, Test wonderfully manages fully formed humanism without sentimentality."[13] Film critic Stephen Holden, included in The New York Times, "As Frankie, Mr. Marlowe delivers a quiet, moving performance of such subtlety and truthfulness that you almost feel that you are living his life."[14] Expecting more, Martin Tsai added In The Los Angeles Times, "Writer-director Chris Mason Johnson [...] has little to say about gay life in the ‘80s and how AIDS affected gay men differently than it does today."[15] For the magazine Under The Radar, Kyle Turner stated that "Writer/director Chris Mason Johnson does an impressive job mounting the film as a drama and very gradually allowing tension and paranoia to permeate."[16]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 82% of 22 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.8/10.[17] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 70 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[18]

Accolades

Test won two Jury Awards, for Outstanding American Dramatic Feature Film and Outstanding Screenwriting at the 2013 Outfest in Los Angeles,[19] the Alan Ira Dusowitz Emerging Filmmaker Award at the 2013 Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival,[20] and was chosen as The New York Times Critic's Pick.[14]

Award Ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Alan Ira Dusowitz Emerging Filmmaker Award Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (2013) Feature Film Chris Mason Johnson Won [20]
New American Cinema Award Seattle International Film Festival (2013) Nominated [21]
Grand Jury Award L.A. Outfest (2013) Outstanding Screenwriting Won [19]
Outstanding U.S. Dramatic Feature Won
Premio Maguey Guadalajara International Film Festival (2014) Best Feature Film Nominated [22]
John Cassavetes Award Film Independent Spirit Awards (2015) Independent Spirit Chris Mason Johnson Nominated [23]
Chris Martin Nominated

References

  1. 1 2 Lattanzio, Ryan (November 25, 2014). "Why 'Test' Director and Indie Spirit Nominee Chris Mason Johnson Is a Queer Cinema Rising Star". IndieWire. Archived from the original on September 29, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Track TEST - a feature film in post-production's Kickstarter campaign on BackerTracker". BackerKit. October 17, 2012. Archived from the original on February 22, 2023. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  3. 1 2 "Chris Mason Johnson". Serious Productions. Archived from the original on June 10, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  4. ↑ 10 Percent: David Perry chats with Chris Mason Johnson, director of the movie Test (Podcast). David Perry Associates. July 30, 2013. Event occurs at 9:57. Archived from the original on February 22, 2023. Retrieved February 22, 2023 – via YouTube.
  5. ↑ "Test (Ceiri Torjussen)". moviescoremedia.com. 2014. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Panorama 2014: First Films". Berlinale. Archived from the original on December 22, 2013. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Test". Berlinale. 2013. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  8. ↑ Howard, Rachel (June 2, 2014). "Dancer Scott Marlowe steps up in new role: actor". SFGATE. Archived from the original on June 7, 2014. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Wolfe Releasing - Theatrical & Film Festival Booking for Wolfe Video". Wolfe Releasing. Archived from the original on May 23, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Test". Wolfe Video. Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Test (2014) - Financial Information". The Numbers. July 3, 2014. Archived from the original on November 27, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Test". Box Office Mojo. June 6, 2014. Archived from the original on February 22, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  13. ↑ Dillard, Clayton (June 9, 2014). "Review: Test". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on June 13, 2022. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  14. 1 2 Holden, Stephen (June 12, 2014). "Grimly Staring in the Mirror, a Dancer in '85". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 16, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  15. ↑ Tsai, Martin (June 12, 2014). "Review: 'Test' says little about gay life in the 1980s". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  16. ↑ Turner, Kyle (June 18, 2014). "Test". Under the Radar. Archived from the original on July 6, 2022. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Test". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  18. ↑ "Test". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  19. 1 2 "Outfest Los Angeles: Chris Mason Johnson, ‘Test’ Claim Jury Prizes" Archived February 22, 2023, at the Wayback Machine. The Wrap, July 21, 2013.
  20. 1 2 "Previous Winners of the Tampa Bay International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival Awards - TIGLFF". tiglff.com. 2013. Archived from the original on November 29, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  21. ↑ "Seattle International Film Festival Award Winners & Nominees - 2013". Cinema Dailies. Archived from the original on February 22, 2023. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  22. ↑ "18 filmes concursarán por Premio Maguey Universidad de Guadalajara". www.udg.mx. Archived from the original on February 22, 2023. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
  23. ↑ "2014 - Awards Season: Independent Spirit Awards - Nominations". The Numbers. December 6, 2014. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
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