Testament of Youth

Vera Brittain's bestselling 1933 memoir recalls her experiences in England during World War I, not only detailing the impact on her family but also on her country's culture, while also serving up a powerfully persuasive pacifist plea. Vera's story begins on Armistice Day 1918, with her returning home to proper Edwardian society, after which her tale is revealed in flashback. In 1914, rebellious teenager Vera (Alicia Vikander) yearns to attend Oxford, but her parents (Dominic West, Emily Watson) fear that this will deter her chances of landing a wealthy husband (which, at that time, was a young woman's primary goal). Fortunately, Vera's aspirations are supported by her beloved brother (Taron Egerton) and his mates, particularly idealistic Roland (Kit Harington), a lad with a suffragette mother. Sharing a passion for poetry and writing, Vera and Roland fall in love. But the primary drama revolves around Vera's decision to leave Oxford to volunteer as a nurse's assistant, eventually depicting the harrowing, heartbreaking devastation in field hospitals near the frontline. Vivacious Swedish actress Vikander (Ex Machina) and Harington (Game of Thrones) also receive strong support from Miranda Richardson and Hayley Atwell. Directed by James Kent, Testament of Youth is overly long and occasionally tedious in its feminist frustration, but it is a solid drama overall that sees the Great War from a woman's point-of-view. Recommended. (S. Granger)