I really like a good British period drama. The Imitation Game was my #3 pick of last year, and it was chalk full of the cliches, and false sentiment that, for the most part, infuriates people who hate these types of movies. I bring that up when I talk about Testament of Youth because I need you to know I'm not the most biased person when it comes to this stuff. Now that said, I can say that Testament of Youth just isn't a good movie — well, for the most part. It feels like a film that 2/3rd's through filming, the filmmakers realized they were making an ok, but not really engaging film, then decided that for the last 20 minutes of the film they would actually give a shit and try. Testament of Youth is based off of the memoir of Vera Britain, and is about her living through WW1 and the people that she lost in it. The film opts to split it's acts into before the war, during the war, and then after the war. You know you have a problem when only one of those acts is near interesting. So spoiler warning because I'm about to go into depth about how this film works and does not work. Act 1 is ok for the most part, but it's focussing on characters that are not that interesting. Vera (played actually really well for the most part by Alicia Vikander of Ex Machina, a film you need to watch because it's the best of the year) is not really that interesting, and from moment one feels very spoiled. Then again if my father got me a piano I would complain too. Vera does want to go to Oxford, and instead her dad got her a piano, but it still comes off as very spoiled because of the screenplay. Vikander is good, but not really given too much to do. But then the love interest comes into the film, and the first huge slip up of the film happens. The love interest is Roland. He is played by Kit Harrington who is overall a pretty good actor, but is much like Vikander left with nothing really to work with here. Their relationship is lifeless. There's no heat to it, and so many of the later actions made by Vera are based on this love that the second act is also harmed by this love story not working. Then the war comes, and of course Roland dies (something that you can see coming from a mile away), and Vera now feeling she would be best in the war effort goes to be a nurse in France. Now this part should be visceral and exciting because it gets super (and I mean super) violent. It doesn't though because it's not convincing because the reason she's there is the love story and that's not convincing. Then the third act happens, and for the most part it's all the same. Most of the emotions felt by Vera are based on people that she has lost, notably Roland, so we have no connection to her. But then suddenly about 20 minutes before the film ends it get's good - like, really good. The cinematography improves, and the screenplay does too. Vikander is given something to do, and there's a very emotional moment. And then it all ends... I give Testament of Youth a 5 out of 10.
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December 2017
CategoriesAuthorHello welcome to FilmAnalyst. My name is Stephen Tronicek, and I really like movies. This is a way to get my opinions out to people. Thank you for visiting. |