Film

The Test

Name: The Test
Genre: Comedy
Released: 2020
Cast: Michala Banas, Christine Whelan Browne, Jing Xuan Chan

Other titles called The Test: the 2018 film.

A taut eight-minute comedy about a same-sex couple waiting for test results at a medical clinic. The tension between Jo and Sarah crackles as their future hangs in balance—a film that finds dark humour in vulnerability, uncertainty, and what we're willing to risk for the people we love. Perfect for anyone who enjoys intimate character work.

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy a tightly wound short where a few minutes of waiting-room awkwardness carries real emotional charge, and where a comedic eye sits right beside the anxiety.

Skip it if you want a film with room to breathe or a clear arc; at eight minutes it is a single tense situation, and its humour depends on your patience for a slow, uncomfortable build.

What it asks of you: Very little time and close attention: it is brief, mostly confined to one room, and it works through silences and small glances rather than plot.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Fleabag2016

Phoebe Waller-Bridge's show cracks open vulnerability and mess with surgical precision and laugh-out-loud timing. Like The Test, it uses comedy as a weapon to reveal what people actually feel beneath what they say.

But Six episodes per season demands a proper commitment, and the serialized story means you need to start at the beginning. Some find the meta fourth-wall breaking gimmicky.

Chewing Gum2015

Michaela Coel's debut series finds wild comedy in intimacy and relationships—the same tonal register as The Test, balancing laugh-out-loud moments with real emotional stakes. Fearless about sex, identity, and connection.

But It's very much a product of its moment and some humour hasn't aged perfectly. The first season is rougher than the second, so it requires patience.

Starstruck2021

Rose Matafeo's romantic comedy finds genuine heart in the mess of wanting something badly while everything conspires against you. Smart, funny, and genuinely touching about relationships that matter.

But Some plots feel slight and the show doesn't always earn its emotional beats. If you need high stakes, this coasts on charm rather than tension.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Test

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Heartbeat Detector2007

Both are quiet standoffs where enormous emotional stakes hang on what is and isn't said. Both understand that the most dangerous moments are the ones where nothing visible happens.

A French psychological thriller about a corporate wellness officer visiting a mysterious executive. Gorgeously shot and morally complex, it strips away comfortable assumptions about who we are and what we hide. Riveting and strange.

But Slow-burn intellectual thriller with no action. If you need propulsive plot or clear answers, you'll hate it. In French with subtitles.

Catastrophe2015

Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney build a relationship comedy on real consequences and genuine stakes. The writing finds the exact same blend of hilarity and authenticity that makes The Test sing.

But It spans five seasons and gets darker as it goes—some find the tonal shift jarring. The later seasons are weightier, less purely funny.

Normal People2020

Sally Rooney's adaptation captures the electric intensity of a relationship at crucial moments. Like The Test, it understands that small conversations between two people can hold enormous weight.

But It moves slowly and some find the intimacy scenes exploitative rather than essential. If you want plot momentum, this isn't it—it's all interiority.

Moonlight2016

Barry Jenkins' three-part portrait of a Black queer man across decades is achingly tender. It shares The Test's understanding that love between same-sex partners deserves cinema as serious and beautiful as any other story.

But Quietly paced and deliberately sparse with dialogue. Some viewers find it glacial; others need more conventional narrative scaffolding.

Aftersun2022

Charlotte Wells creates devastating emotional depth from small moments and glances. Like The Test, it trusts the audience to feel the weight of what's unsaid between two people who matter to each other.

But Plotless and impressionistic—it asks you to sit with mood and feeling rather than story. Some find it indulgent; others find it luminous.

You're the Worst2014

Stephen Falk's comedy finds exactly the right tone for relationships that are complicated, funny, and genuine. Sharp dialogue, real stakes, and a willingness to let its characters be awful and lovable simultaneously.

But Runs five seasons and loses momentum before the end. The finale feels rushed, and some viewers tire of the will-they-won't-they mechanics.

Daria1997

A cult animated comedy about intelligence, relationships, and staying true to yourself. Drier than The Test but with the same eye for the absurdity beneath everyday life.

But Animation from the '90s feels dated to modern eyes. The humour is cerebral and can feel slow if you're expecting constant jokes.

The Wedding Banquet1993

Both centre same-sex relationships and the enormous pressure of a single moment—a test, a wedding—that forces everything into the open. Both find the comedy and heartbreak in what people will and won't say.

Ang Lee's comedy about a Taiwanese man trying to come out to his parents through a fake marriage. It's hilarious, warm, and cuts to the bone about identity, family, and what we owe the people we love. A masterpiece of tone.

But Made in 1993 and shot in a very specific Taiwanese-American cultural moment. Some representations feel dated now. The ending is ambiguous in ways some viewers find unsatisfying.