Testament

Even with the end of the Cold War (and a subsequent diminishing of fear over worldwide nuclear annihilation), 1983's Testament still packs a visceral gut punch with its simple but devastating tale of a family and a community facing circumstances far beyond their control. The relatively low budget here doesn't allow for big special effects or epic sequences, which is fine since the movie's power stems from its unflinching look at how everyday people face the tragedy of slow death from invisible radiation poisoning--an inevitable process that does not arrive in a grand The Day After Tomorrow-like manner, but rather in a series of small occurrences that snowball: the rationing of gasoline and food until supplies are depleted, the increased inability to make contact with people in distant towns, the efforts to maintain a normal routine (church services, school plays) until death begins to take its toll on young and old, ultimately clogging the cemetery. At the heart of the story is the extraordinary performance by Jane Alexander as a loving mother and wife who struggles valiantly to keep her family together and hold on to her own sanity in the midst of the growing chaos (Alexander was nominated for an Oscar, and might have won had Hollywood veteran Shirley MacLaine not been such a heavy sentimental favorite that year for Terms of Endearment). Still a mature and compassionate treatment of a harrowing subject, Testament bows on DVD with a fine transfer and a pair of featurettes (one, "Testament: Nuclear Thoughts," a heavy-handed screed; the other, "Testament at 20," a fine retrospective look at the film). Highly recommended. (P. Hall)