2014 Movie
Dir. James Kent · Denmark, United Kingdom · English
A lovely, though fairly standard, memoir adaptation of the famous British pacifist
Testament of Youth isn’t totally unique. Plenty of period dramas, even those that are true to life, have a similar approach of capturing the loveliness of a teenage summer vacation to better juxtapose the ugliness of war and how terrible it is to put young adults through it at a time when they should be exploring their lives. But it’s not terribly made– the film gets better as it goes, Max Richter’s excellent score is captivating, and there’s a certain novelty of watching the fresh faces of some of Britain’s biggest actors, even if their better known works have eclipsed this film. Testament of Youth may not be as devastating as war films like Atonement, but it’s a fairly decent watch, if you’re specifically craving for a period drama you haven’t watched before.
Testament of Youth is a powerful story of love, war and remembrance, based on the First World War memoir by Vera Brittain, which has become the classic testimony of that war from a woman’s point of view. A searing journey from youthful hopes and dreams to the edge of despair and back again, it’s a film about young love, the futility of war and how to make sense of the darkest times.
"Mournful, very fine ..."
— David Edelstein
"An intimate epic, "Testament of Youth" has great historical sweep yet remains focused on the human vicissitudes experienced by Vera and her circle."
— Godfrey Cheshire
Britain, World War I. With her brother and friends off fighting in the war, young Oxford student Vera Brittain postpones her studies to serve as a nurse in the frontlines.
The cast is great, really, the leads are big names for a reason. But there’s just something about Kit Harington and Alicia Vikander’s chemistry that just doesn’t have that indefinable, irresistible spark. Part of this could be due to their eventual fates, and to the film wanting to focus on Vita Brittain entirely, but their dynamic just feels much less passionate than it could have been.
I just can’t stop seeing Eggsy, Merlin, and Jon Snow being BFFs with Ava from Ex Machina…
Isabella Endrinal is a curator at A Good Movie to Watch. She's now free from the corporate night shift. Previous articles have been published in outlets such as NANG Magazine. She's currently catching up on some classic films… if she isn't coping with the fact that the Haikyu anime will end soon.
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