Nurse Vera

Testament of Youth

All over the world, many times during our history, men and most recently women have been sent off to war. They sacrifice their lives to protect the country they hail from so very bravely. As much as I salute these courageous souls, I sometimes think that history has forgotten about the unselfish women that rushed to the battlefront to nurse our wounded soldiers back to health. These ladies were just has heroic in many ways as the soldiers they tended to. This year Sony Pictures Classics has reminded us just how important these women were to the British soldiers during World War I in Testament of Youth.

Testament of Youth not only gives light to the nurses of World War I, but it also gives a glimpse into the life of one of the most influential feminists of the early 20^th Century. The film, which is based from her book, tells the remarkable true story of Vera Brittain (Alicia Vikander Ex Machina) and her struggles through World War I. The story follows her from a few years before the war to about a year after. Vera voices the struggles she faces with knowing that her love, her brother, and friends are off to battle. She also gives a voice to the daring women of the Voluntary Aid Detachment, for which she volunteered.

What a gorgeous film! Testament of Youth is filled with awesome performances and stunning direction. I loved how the film wasn’t overly long, where most war films like this tend to drag the movie out. I know this sounds weird, but I am also appreciative of the war that it covers and the people that were a part of that time. World War I was just as tragic and just as noteworthy as any other conflict in history. Why we don’t cover more of this time is kind of confusing to me. Testament of Youth gives this generation a voice in such a glorious way.

If I had any smidge of doubt that Vikander could act, this film erases all of that. This is her movie and hers alone which she just runs away with. The inner strength that Vikander possesses in this film is outstanding. She so brilliantly exudes Brittain’s brashness and yet somehow is able to show her inner weakness. If Ex Machina didn’t do it than this film will certainly give the world notice that she is for real and is going to accomplish wonderful things. I am a huge Game of Thrones fan so I knew that Kit Harington was a good actor. I just didn’t realize that he was this good. Harington portrays Brittain’s love interest, Roland Leighton, and he is fantastic. Harington does a superb job at bringing out the boyish charm and class that Leighton has. From the moment he walks on screen he wins you with that charm and later wins you over with his ability to present Leighton a little more war stricken.

 

Long time English TV director James Kent makes his feature film debut with this epic tale. Kent eloquently captures the stunning scenery of the English countryside and the beauty deep in the depths of war. I was very impressed with Kent’s ability to bring out the emotions of each character with the camera. He captures the heartbreak and happiness with perfect close-ups of the characters. Kent also does a great job with the pace and length of the movie. The story is most certainly grand in scale, but Kent is able to tell the story with the most important points and not overbear his audience with useless scenes.

This is a beautiful film for an ugly time in history. With amazing performances from Vikander and Harington, Testament of Youth should be talked about come award season. For all of you that like a good tear-jerker than please check this out. For the rest of you, please take a chance on this film because I truly believe that you will be sucked into the story based on Vikander’s performance alone.

The Verdict: Worth Your Time.