FilmSnobReviews

Title: Testament of Youth
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Director: James Kent
Starring: Alicia Vikander, Kit Harrington, Taron Egerton
Runtime: 2 hrs 9 mins

What It Is: Vera Brittain (Vikander) is a strong-minded young woman, who really wants to go to Oxford. After convinving her father (played by Dominic West) to let her take the entrance exam, and also allow her brother Edward (Egerton) to sign up for the Army thanks to World War I. Meanwhile she falls in love with an aspiring poet named Roland (Harrington) who goes off to war. As war ravages England, and takes all of it’s best men it’s woman (including Vera) are left to pick up the pieces of their lives. So when Vera takes a sabbatical from Oxford to become a nurse for the war effort she does so for god and country but most of all for her own sanity.

What We Think: The films looks to it’s literary source material for inspiration and instead it finds something different. Something that is more profound, in the book it finds it’s voice. A voice echoed beautifully by it’s films director. Not only that but the cinematography is absolutely breathtaking. Whether it’s the stunning backgrounds which really paint the picture of the 1910’s. Not only that but Vikander’s performance is simply put exceptional. If not for a few flat, and downright uninteresting moments I’d concider this one of the years best. As it stands it’s a glowing example of a period piece done right.

Our Grade: B+, This is a fantastic film. I’m going to recommend everyone go and see this one if you get a chance. It’s open in select theatres so it might be a pain to see, but anyone who enjoys period pieces will certainly run with this one. From the looks of it, it seems very cut and paste romantic but it is a bit more than that. Instead it’s an intriguing, and beautiful story of one woman’s quest to find true, and total peace.