Review of Testament of Youth (2015) by Dawdlingpoet — 24 Nov 2021

This is a period drama film, covering themes or subject areas including war (although it is admittedly more of a background topic - more on this later) independence, hope and romance. To start with, I felt this film seemed visually and audibly quite 'rose tinted', somewhat over sentimental, due to the light piano and harp pieces which are slightly haunting in tone and played in the background, while the skyline looked rather plump and blurry - as if the camera which filmed it had steamed up, only primarily at the top and not so much lower down in shots, where the characters are shown. It gave the earlier scenes a sort of dream like feeling, I'd say. There was a fairly strong sense of optimism I picked up on from the start. I felt that Vera Brittain was an easy character to hope the best for, to root for as the Americans may say. I could understand her wish to live life the way she wanted, for her to be given the chance to make her own successes. It felt quite frustrating how her family (and indeed wider society at that time) regarded her life choices and the like. It made me think about how far society has come in the last 100 years or so. I liked the cinematography - there are numerous impressive camera angles used to create quite beautiful shots. Of course this is very bittersweet as when the war inevitably breaks out, things take a turn for the much more dark and it made me think how we should perhaps stop and think about the simple beauty of nature, of everyday things, which perhaps are taken for granted a bit. Haunting is a term that I feel applies in part due to the camerawork and cinematography. Maybe you could argue that I am being a bit 'airy fairy' but this film is definitely one that sits comfortably in the 'period drama/war/romance' sub-categories (or genres), as mentioned), so if you cringe at sentimentality, then this is likely not for you. Cast wise, Alicia Vikander plays Vera Brittain. I really liked her determination and/or her self-assuredness - she's quite strong minded and I like to think that women who had to deal with being regarded as the lesser gender at that time, were able to challenge things and stand up for themselves. I felt that Alicia played her role well - Vera seemed like role model material to me. Meanwhile, Kit Harrington plays Roland Leighton, Vera's partner. The two of them did seem genuinely very much 'smitten' and like a well matched couple, in the throes of young love. Other cast members include Taron Egerton who plays Edward, Veras brother, while Dominic West plays Veras father and Emily Watson plays her mother. Also present are Joanna Scanlon as Aunt Belle and Miranda Richardson as Miss Lorimer.

It is very much an emotive, fairly powerful film on war, in terms of the effects it can have on everyday citizens, although I should point out that it doesn't depict battle scenes themselves in any extended detail. It is a film which may require some tissues, if your liable to get teary eyed at such types of film (so don't say I didn't warn you). I felt it was quite well put across, in terms of featuring decent character development and putting the environment the main characters are in, in to context regarding way of life at the time its set.

Content wise, this film features some violence, although primarily its the results after battle scenes which are shown in any kind of detail and this does (again inevitably) feature quite a heavy amount of blood. There are scenes which feature wounded soldiers being treated and which are naturally somewhat frightening and harrowing, so this wouldn't be something for very young viewers to watch. Indeed the films themes are somewhat mature and there is a sadness to the film. The film has been given a 12 rating to reflect this.

I felt this film was well made, primarily due to the decent performances and a good use of the musical score, plus some admirable cinematography. It doesn't glorify war and it is, I suppose, a bit frustratingly one sided as far as the plot is concerned but then given its based on on a memoir, thats quite understandable. It may not suit everyone but for what it is, its certainly a decent watch - a relatively thought provoking one at that.

Yes, overall I would recommend this film. It features decent performances by the main cast, a good use of classical music in the musical score and I felt the plot was quite well paced. I found it an interesting watch - rather bittersweet at times and fairly thought provoking, I'd say its worth a watch. However, if you really don't like overly sentimental films, or period dramas with much romance in it, then this would likely render this title better avoided but for me, I thought it was good and I'll recommend it on that basis.