Testament of Youth

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Testament of Youth

PG-13

Released Jun 5, 2015

2h 9m

Biography

History

Drama

War

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Popcornmeter

84%

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129 Reviews

78%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

During World War I, Oxford University student Vera Brittain (Alicia Vikander) postpones her studies to serve as a nurse while her suitor, her brother and a secret admirer face death in the trenches.

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Critics Consensus

Testament of Youth is well-acted and beautifully filmed, adding up to an enriching if not adventurous experience for fans of British period dramas.

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Tom Long

Detroit News

Somehow, Vikander sells it all, not with braying and big gestures, but with vulnerability, sincerity and the sort of ethereal realness that can't be quantified. More, please, more.

Rated: B

Jul 10, 2015

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Moira MacDonald

Seattle Times

Though the movie at times feels oddly unfinished (you wonder what Miranda Richardson, in a tiny role as an Oxford professor, is there for), it's artful and moving.

Rated: 3.5/4

Jul 9, 2015

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Joe Williams

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

As a story, it evokes a word that no battlefield nurse would ever apply to her experiences: sterile.

Rated: 2/4

Jul 9, 2015

Full Review

Tania Hussain

The Hudsucker

Though it’s a story based around war, there isn’t much carnage for audiences to digest or be reminded of. Instead, we are prompted to remember the loss through love.

Jul 28, 2024

Full Review

Jennifer Merin

AWFJ.org

This beautifully crafted and hearbreaking tale about a woman and the impact of war delivers lessons we should have learned long ago.

Oct 4, 2021

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Nikki Baughan

AWFJ.org

Both an excellent drama and a feminist call to arms, Testament of Youth is absolutely unmissable.

Oct 4, 2021

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Torbjørn L

This is an exeptionally well crafted movie, highly recommended. The main actress Alicia Amanda Vikander is astonishing brilliant in this gripping drama, based on the 1st W.W. memoir of Vera Brittain. Alicia Vikander is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, and nominations for two Golden Globe Awards and three British Academy Film Awards, and I fully understand why.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/21/24

Full Review

John C

Powerful, emotional and engaging World War 1 movie. I can't fault it in any of the production values. Exquisitely guided by an irresistible and magnetic performance by Alicia Vikander. I'd imagine both sides of the conflict, the young men that served, the young men that died, all would applaud the deeply felt sentiments this film nobly carries. I feel as upset as a film about this subject should make me. Highly recommend.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/09/24

Full Review

Glafira Regina O

An incredibly beautiful and atmospheric film. The actors were able to perfectly convey the atmosphere in Britain during the First World War. But in my opinion, the most dramatic part of the movie is that it was based on real events. So, Vera Brittain, who wrote the book of the same name, lost her brother and fiancé. I definitely advise everyone to watch it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/19/24

Full Review

Dave C

An ethereal, poetic and enchanting examination of a world on-and-over the precipice as WWI challenges ideals, changes perceptions, warps classist structures, and reshapes a devoted and deferent generation whilst they grapple with what their lives will be in post-war Britain. I love that in all of this, VB's poetry, tenacity, and patriotism play with and against her intellect and growing pacifist beliefs. And that barely touches on the realism that shines so brilliantly. It is a deft and masterful artist who can bring such a sense of realism from such a delicate mix of emotion, terror, and turmoil. The cast and crew are incredible. To those laughable 'Top Critics' who see this purely as a chocolate-box period drama, with a magazine-friendly aesthetic, thank you for making me laugh, and for firing me up to type a more considered review than I otherwise would have!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/28/24

Full Review

louise a

The story is beautifully written and acted, with an amazing score. The movie really transports us to WW1, and it's easy for us to feel the characters' pain, making it a very emotional and enjoyable watch.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/23/23

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Colin M

World War I overtaking the lives of young people. Long movie which didn't say much except war is bad because it costs lives, which is already well known.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

06/29/23

Full Review

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James Kent

Director

Alicia Vikander

Vera Brittain

Kit Harington

Roland Leighton

Taron Egerton

Edward Brittain

Colin Morgan

Victor Richardson

Emily Watson

Mrs. Brittain

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Synopsis

During World War I, Oxford University student Vera Brittain (Alicia Vikander) postpones her studies to serve as a nurse while her suitor, her brother and a secret admirer face death in the trenches.

Director: James Kent
Producer: David Heyman, Rosie Alison
Screenwriter: Juliette Towhidi
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: Heyday Films
Rating: PG-13 (Thematic Material|Bloody/Disturbing War Images)
Genre: Biography, History, Drama, War
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 5, 2015, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 30, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.8M
Runtime: 2h 9m

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