Overview
A poignant exploration of love and loss amidst the chaos of war.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- wistful
- melancholic
- sincere
- quiet evening
- historical drama night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film well acted and beautifully filmed, offering an enriching if conventional British period drama about Vera Brittain's wartime experience.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Vera Brittain's education, nursing service, writing, and pacifism shape the story's central perspective.
Vera's wartime experiences lead her toward explicit pacifism, while the deaths and injuries of those around her expose war's devastation.
Vera's bond with Roland, Edward, and their circle is repeatedly tested and reshaped by the First World War.
The film moves from Edwardian social privilege and pastoral intimacy to nursing stations and the injured bodies of the Western Front.
Films like Testament of Youth, and why
Atonement
shared world war i setting, tragic romance, literary ambition, and emotionally direct period drama
The English Patient
shared british period setting, intimate wartime loss, romantic longing, and polished historical melodrama
The Danish Girl
shared biographical focus on a woman confronting wartime upheaval through writing, pacifism, and personal grief
War Horse
shared world war i setting, antiwar perspective, young idealism shattered by military conflict, and british period production
Movie Details
- Director
- James Kent
- Release Date
- 2015-01-16
- Runtime
- 129 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (811)
Cast
- Alicia Vikander
- Kit Harington
- Taron Egerton
- Colin Morgan
- Dominic West
- Emily Watson
- Hayley Atwell
- Anna Chancellor
- Miranda Richardson
- Joanna Scanlan
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Howdy Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Testament of Youth about?
- A gifted young Englishwoman’s dreams of Oxford, love, and literary success are transformed by the First World War into a life of nursing, remembrance, and pacifist conviction.
- What is Testament of Youth like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Testament of Youth as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Testament of Youth violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Testament of Youth as mild.
- What did critics think of Testament of Youth?
- Critics broadly found the film well acted and beautifully filmed, offering an enriching if conventional British period drama about Vera Brittain's wartime experience.
- Which films are like Testament of Youth?
- Films with a similar feel include Atonement, The English Patient, The Danish Girl, and War Horse.
- How long is Testament of Youth?
- Testament of Youth runs 129 minutes.
- Where can I watch Testament of Youth?
- In United States, Testament of Youth streams on Howdy Amazon Channel.
