Synopsis
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.
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Cast
- Alicia VikanderVera Brittain
- Kit HaringtonRoland Leighton
- Taron EgertonEdward Brittain
- Colin MorganVictor Richardson
- Dominic WestMr. Brittain
- Emily WatsonMrs. Brittain
- Hayley AtwellHope Milroy
- Anna ChancellorMrs. Leighton
- Miranda RichardsonMiss Lorimer
- Joanna ScanlanAunt Belle
Recommendations
- 83
The Playlist
Never, for one second, is Vikander anything less than entirely truthful. - 80
The Telegraph
As a film, Testament of Youth glimmers with sadness, but also the apprehension of sadness: we know not all of these boys are coming back. - 80
Empire
There are familiar moments in Vera Brittain’s stirring story, though the Kent's craft and Vikander’s exquisite talent will ensure that the author’s memories live in the minds of a fresh generation... - 80
Total Film
Vikander brings fresh emotional weight to the familiar scenario of WW1 grief, ensuring that this mostly avoids the traps of dull, dutiful heritage cinema. - 80
CineVue
Kent, who gathers a cast of extremely bright young things, creates a drama that glides with sorrowful grace, pitching at a respectful and tear-inducing tone. - 80
TheWrap
The men are slightly forgettable, but the woman is not. Far from the flawless fembot in “Ex Machina,” Vikander’s slight gawkiness is highlighted here, allowing her to look like a real girl, absolutely the right decision by Kent. - 75
Movie Nation
It’s a quiet, thoughtful and handsomely mounted film, offering another plum role to Alicia Vikander (“Ex Machina”) as Brittain. Vikander and the film take Britain, and Brittain, from idealism and hope to grim reality and regret. - 75
Slant Magazine
The film's inferno of horrors are undoubtedly visceral, but psychologically implosive rather than entrails-exploding.
