Seeing war through the eyes of a woman
Testament of Youth (out of 4) Starring Alicia Vikander, Kit Harington, Taron Egerton, Colin Morgan and Miranda Richardson. Directed by James Kent. 129 minutes. Opens Friday at the Varsity. PG Presenting a female perspective on wartime, passionate and lushly rendered period drama Testament of Youth offers a different view of conflict and its toll both on the battlefields and at home, as experienced by Vera Brittain, a young British writer and volunteer military nurse.
Based on writer and pacifist Brittain’s memoirs and set during her early adulthood, the initial optimism of a generation compelled by duty and determined to change the world by going to war is almost as heartbreaking as the futility and crushing pain of loss that follows.
Swedish actress Alicia Vikander, seen recently as the superbly cool, almost-human AI Ava in Ex Machina, takes on an entirely different demeanour as the outspoken Vera.
She yearns to study at Oxford, even if her father (Dominic West) thinks she’d be better off staying at the family’s country estate.
Director James Kent, making his feature debut, infuses the early scenes of Testament of Youth with the golden splendour of a pre-war British summer.
He’s aided by Ex Machina cinematographer Rob Hardy, who initially trades the stunning grey chill of that film’s Norwegian landscape for bu- colic pastures, suffused light and a winding country road that takes on symbolic significance.
Three young men in Vera’s life, her fiancé, budding poet Roland (Kit Harington of Game of Thrones), her beloved brother Edward (Taron Egerton) and his friend Victor (Colin Morgan), unable to hide his feelings for Vera, are convinced the escalating war is an opportunity for adventure and service.
Their naive beliefs give way to horrors of war, both on the muddy battlefield and in makeshift hospitals, where Kent’s background as a documentary filmmaker comes into play.
Poignant farewells, especially a memorable scene on a train platform, are filmed with classic elements, yet free of clichés.
Vera, finally having gotten to Oxford, soon leaves school to serve as a nurse.
Tragedies pile one on the next and it would be intolerable if not for Vikander’s full-blooded, compelling performance as the resilient Vera. She manages to be both of her time, yet contemporary and relatable, inspiring throughout, although never more than when she shows spirited compassion for the wounded enemy.
This is Vikander’s film and she is very good here. Expect to see more of her in the coming months.