Directed by James Kent (his first feature; known for tv series and tv films) and starring Dominic West (Pride, Johnny English Reborn, Mona Lisa Smile, Hannibal Rising), Emily Watson (Breaking the Waves, The Theory of Everything, War Horse, Red Dragon, The Book Thief, Anna Karenina), Kit Harington (How to Train Your Dragon, Game of Thrones, Pompeii, How to Train Your Dragon 2), Hayley Atwell (Ant-Man, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Cassandra's Dream), Alicia Vikander (The Man from U.N.C.L.E., A Royal Affair, Anna Karenina, The Fifth Estate) and Taron Egerton (Kingsman: The Secret Service).
Drama; 129 mins; 12+
Based on the book of the same name - considered one of the greatest war memoirs ever written - by Vera Brittain, the well-known pacifist in leter years, this is a story set during World War I seen through the eyes of Vera Brittain (Alicia Vikander). Born into a well-to-do-family and enjoying carefree summers in rural England, she fights to be able to study at Oxford only for war to intervene. Her brother and their friends enlist as it is the honourable thing to do, but with inevitable consequences. Meanwhile, Vera does her bit by serving as a nurse, initially at home and then abroad near enemy lines.
Both riveting and melancholic as well as engaging, Testament of Youth recreates the horror and futility of war, the despair that it creates and its effects on people across the land. In this case it also depicts its effects on loved ones and family. Vera is intelligent and determined but can be withdrawn when feeling hurt.
