Testament of Youth

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Directed by James Kent
Produced by David Heyman and Rosie Alison
Screenplay by Juliette Towhidi Based on the autobiography by Vera Brittain

With: Alicia Vikander, Taron Egerton, Colin Morgan, Dominic West, Emily Watson, Kit Harington, Joanna Scanlan, and Miranda Richardson

Cinematography: Rob Hardy
Editing: Lucia Zucchetti
Music: Max Richter

Runtime: 129 min
Release Date: 16 January 2015
Aspect Ratio: 2.35 : 1
Color: Color

James Kent’s Testament of Youth is a biographical drama based on the WWI memoir by Vera Brittain, an independent young British woman who gave up a promising academic track at Oxford to serve her country as a nurse on the front lines. Rising star Alicia Vikander gives a moving performance as Brittain. This is one of those exquisitely rendered period dramas that audiences and critics used to fawn over but now barely notice—which is a real shame.

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How I Rate Films



An All-timer. One of the 5000 greatest films. Usually only awarded after repeat viewings.



One of the year's best. An excellent film. Possibly one of the 5000 greatest and certainly worthy of repeated viewing.



A very good film. Most films I see fall in the two- or three-star ranking. I give an extra half-star to three-star films that could end up on the list of the 5000 greatest.



A good film that fully succeeds at what it sets out to accomplish. Well worth seeing, but less effective than a three-and-a-half stars films and often less consequential than a two-and-a-half star film.



A noteworthy or enjoyable film that I can’t fully recommend. Still, two-and-a-half star films are often some of the most memorable films of a year.



A disappointment, an interesting failure, or just a bad movie. But still worth seeing if you’ve got the time.



A bad, rant-worthy film. Should be avoided regardless of hype or talent involved.



One of the worst films.