History Film / TestamentOfYouth

''Testament of Youth'' is a 2014 British drama film based on the [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI First World War]] memoir of the same name written by Vera Brittain. The film stars [[Creator/AliciaVikander Alicia Vikander]] as Vera Brittain, an independent young woman who abandoned her Oxford studies to become a war nurse; as well as [[Creator/KitHarington Kit Harington]] as her suitor and love interest Roland Leighton, a tenderhearted soldier with a poet's soul, and [[Creator/TaronEgerton Taron Egerton]] as her idealistic younger brother Edward Brittain. It also features [[Creator/ColinMorgan Colin Morgan]] as friend Victor Richardson, Dominic West as Mr Brittain, [[Creator/EmilyWatson Emily Watson]] as Mrs Brittain, Miranda Richardson as Oxford educator Miss Lorimer, and [[Creator/HayleyAtwell Hayley Atwell]] as war nurse Hope.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: The film anachronistically portrays UsefulNotes/TheSpanishFlu pandemic underway at the start of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI in 1914; in reality, the Flu emerged in 1918, at the war's end.

* RomanticRunnerUp: Victor excitedly mentions a girl named Molly in a conversation with Vera. The latter eventually discovers that Molly was an entirely fictitious being, made up so Vera would not feel sorry for Victor and [[UnluckyChildhoodFriend his unreciprocated romantic feelings toward Vera]]. He's a badly injured, lonely war hero at the point and she a nurse with a dead lover, however, so she takes pity on him nevertheless and even makes a shaky proposal. [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy Victor unanimously rejects it.]]

* {{Tsundere}}: During one of Roland's first visits at the Brittain household, Vera snaps and closes her bedroom door at him. In her bedroom, she's shown smiling right after the encounter. The script notes that she finds Roland's confidence both riling and attractive.
* YoungerThanHeLooks: Roland in particular is noted in the script to give off an aura of earthly maturity beyond his real age, no doubt aided by DawsonCasting.

* HonorBeforeReason: Why Edward is positively ''eager'' to fight in the war, as well as why Vera helps him convince their father to let him go. She later regrets it, urging citizens who clamour for vengeance to consider whether their attitudes towards war is really "the right thing; the honourable thing".

* YoungerThanHeLooks: Roland in particular is noted in the script to give off an aura of earthly maturity, no doubt aided by DawsonCasting.

* TheLostLenore: Roland to Vera. Tragically, she's informed of his death on their wedding day in the film.

* {{Tsundere}}: During one of Roland's first visits at the Brittain household, Vera snaps and closes her bedroom door at him. In her bedroom, she's shown smiling right after the encounter. The script notes that she finds Roland's confidence both riling and attractive.

''Testament of Youth'' is a 2014 British drama film based on the [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI First World War]] memoir of the same name written by Vera Brittain. The film stars [[Creator/AliciaVikander Alicia Vikander]] as Vera Brittain, an independent young woman who abandoned her Oxford studies to become a war nurse; as well as [[Creator/KitHarington Kit Harington]] as her suitor and love interest Roland Leighton, a tenderhearted soldier with a poet's heart, and [[Creator/TaronEgerton Taron Egerton]] as her idealistic younger brother Edward Brittain. It also features [[Creator/ColinMorgan Colin Morgan]] as friend Victor Richardson, Dominic West as Mr Brittain, [[Creator/EmilyWatson Emily Watson]] as Mrs Brittain, Miranda Richardson as Oxford educator Miss Lorimer, and [[Creator/HayleyAtwell Hayley Atwell]] as war nurse Hope.

* BittersweetEnding: The ending has many elements of a DownerEnding. Vera is suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder and lost her fiancé, brother, and close friend to war. She makes a compelling speech in the name of peace, but there remain English citizens who hunger for violent retaliation against the Germans post-war. That [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII another World War]] occurs in the future is, of course, a ForegoneConclusion for viewers. She goes to the places where she, Edward, Victor, and Roland used to spend time together in. Finally, she takes a swim [[BookEnds alone]], unlike the film's opening scene wherein she was swimming with Edward and Victor. Despite all of this, there is an atmosphere of hope and fresh beginnings, and it's clear that she takes to heart what another woman who helped in the war said to her: that they all have ghosts, but will have to live with it. Prior to the credits, the film mentions that Vera did live longer, married, had children, and wrote a bestselling and highly regarded memoir.

* HistoricalBeautyUpdate: The main cast lend their movie-star good looks to historical figures, per Hollywood tradition. Particularly noticeable are the Brittain siblings, who bear scarce resemblance to their roles' real-life counterparts. Alicia Vikander has a much swarthier complexion and more delicate features than the real Vera Brittain; and the real Edward Brittain did not possess Taron Egerton's classically handsome looks, with Egerton's square jaw and finely chiseled features.

* RomanticRunnerUp: Victor excitedly mentions a girl named Molly in a conversation with Vera. The latter eventually discovers that Molly was an entirely fictitious being, made up so Vera would not feel sorry for Victor and [[ChildhoodFriendRomance his unreciprocated romantic feelings toward Vera]]. He's a badly injured, lonely war hero at the point and she a nurse with a dead lover, however, so she takes pity on him nevertheless and even makes a shaky proposal. [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy Victor unanimously rejects it.]]

* RomanticRunnerUp: Victor excitedly mentions a girl named Molly in a conversation with Vera. The latter eventually discovers that Molly was an entirely fictitious being, made up so Vera would not feel sorry for Victor and [[UnrequitedLove his unreciprocated romantic feelings toward Vera]]. He's a badly injured, lonely war hero at the point and she a nurse with a dead lover, however, so she takes pity on him nevertheless and even makes a shaky proposal. [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy Victor unanimously rejects it.]]

* RomanticRunnerUp: Victor excitedly mentions a girl named Molly in a conversation with Vera. The latter eventually discovers that Molly was an entirely fictitious being, made up so Vera would not feel sorry for Victor and his unreciprocated romantic feelings toward Vera. He's a badly injured, lonely war hero at the point and she a nurse with a dead lover, however, so she takes pity on him nevertheless and even makes a shaky proposal. [[IJustWantMyBelovedToBeHappy Victor unanimously rejects it.]]

* {{Tsundere}}: During one of Roland's first visits at the Brittain household, Vera snaps and closes her bedroom door at him. In her bedroom, however, she's shown smiling right after the encounter. The script notes that she finds Roland's confidence both riling and attractive.

* HistoricalBeautyUpdate: The main cast lend their movie-star good looks to historical figures, per Hollywood tradition. Particularly noticeable are the Brittain siblings, who bear little resemblance to their roles' real-life counterparts. Alicia Vikander has a much swarthier complexion and more delicate features than the real Vera Brittain; and the real Edward Brittain did not possess Taron Egerton's classically handsome looks, with Egerton's square jaw and finely chiseled features.

* HistoricalBeautyUpdate: The main cast lends movie-star good looks to historical figures, per Hollywood tradition. Particularly noticeable are the Brittain siblings, who bear little resemblance to their roles' real-life counterparts. Alicia Vikander has a much swarthier complexion and more delicate features than the real Vera Brittain; and the real Edward Brittain did not possess Taron Egerton's classically handsome looks, with Egerton's square jaw and finely chiseled features.

* HistoricalBeautyUpdate: The main cast lends movie-star good looks to historical figures, per Hollywood tradition. Particularly noticeable are the Brittain siblings, who bear little resemblance to their roles' real-life counterparts. Alicia Vikander has a much swarthier complexion and more delicate features than the real Vera Brittain; and the real Edward Brittain did not possess Taron Egerton's classically handsome looks, with Egerton's square jaw and finely chiseled features.

* AlmostKiss: Roland and Vera's first date is heavily guarded by Vera's chaperone, her aunt Belle. They steal away from her and nearly kiss, before Belle finds them and reproves them for their behaviour. (They're only amused in response.)

''Testament of Youth'' is a 2014 British drama film based on the [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI First World War]] memoir of the same name written by Vera Brittain. The film stars [[Creator/AliciaVikander Alicia Vikander]] as Vera Brittain, an independent young woman who abandoned her Oxford studies to become a war nurse; as well as [[Creator/KitHarington Kit Harington]] as her suitor and love interest Roland Leighton, a tenderhearted soldier with a poet's heart, and [[Creator/TaronEgerton Taron Egerton]] as her idealistic younger brother Edward Brittain. It also features [[Creator/ColinMorgan Colin Morgan]] as friend Victor Richardson, Dominic West as Mr Brittain, [[Creator/EmilyWatson Emily Watson]] as Mrs Brittain, Miranda Richardson as Oxford educator Miss Lorimer, and [[Creator/HayleyAtwell Hayley Atwell]] as war nurse Hope.

Testament of Youth is a 2014 British drama film based on the First World War memoir of the same name written by Vera Brittain. The film stars Alicia Vikander as Vera Brittain, an independent young woman who abandoned her Oxford studies to become a war nurse.