Testament of Youth

This review is Spoiler-free.

Testament of Youth depicts events of the First World War from the perspective of real-life war nurse and writer Vera Brittain (Alicia Vikander). Before the war began she was the suffragette-type, and determined to make it into Oxford along with her brother Edward (Taron Egerton) and his friends Victor (Colin Morgan) and Roland (Kit Harington). But just as the college year begins, war breaks out, and slowly tears Vera's life and dreams to pieces.

Familiar faces that pop up: Dominic West, Emily Watson, Miranda Richardson, Anna Chancellor, and Hayley Atwell!

This film is a romantic drama through and through. And as such it is not automatically my ideal cup of tea. I mainly watched it just because I liked the cast, and didn't expect to really appreciate the story, or the way it was told. With these lower expectations, I wound up actually pretty impressed. Neither the romance nor the drama was too overt. It was kept reserved for the most part, and was artistically portrayed rather than just being thrown out there obtrusively.

The movie is based on the memoirs of Vera, and I liked how the film seems much influenced by her viewpoint. At times, it's like reading her diary. You can see how she romanticizes things -- particularly her main relationship -- and seeing things through her eyes made me more in sync with her character. Yet because of the unobtrusive nature of the drama, whenever things got too emotionally intense, I didn't feel like my emotions were being coerced and prodded to follow.

You're allowed to enjoy at you own level.

Vera is one of those people who internalize everything, which is a naturally hard character to put on screen properly. But with this film being strictly from her perspective, and with a truly, very good performance from Vikander, she is understood and easy to feel for. The film portrays her as a feminist and a pacifist, and seem to try and stretch it to the extreme at which people are feminists and pacifists today (trying to claim her as their own, if you will) but it doesn't quite stick. Fortunately it's not pushed too far. Her character's journey is kept at the front of the focus and it keeps everything grounded.

Taron Egerton's presence was probably the deciding factor for me to watch this because I enjoy watching him light up the screen so much. Edward is sweet and charming and I liked their cute brother-sister relationship. I ended up having a major soft spot for Victor though, and not just because he was Colin Morgan. And Roland was by no means bad, but I'm going to say something about him that might make you think I think so. He had, what I'll call and "Edward Cullen" syndrome -- because he seems more like fantasy than a real person. And that enhanced movie for me a lot, but it didn't leave me very attached to the character... or the drama surrounding him.

The best dress and the best man.

I don't see many period dramas set during this time, and I really liked seeing the costumes, particularly Vera's and the women's clothes. Like Downton Abbey, but less glamorous and rich. The whole look of the film is kept very consistently refined but soft, like a dream -- or more accurately, a memory -- memory is very important to this film. And it is filmed artistically to be nice to look at, and to give and enhance meaning. Occasionally it veers into a depth that is more confusing than meaningful, or a little too far into sentimentality to be taken fully seriously, but it doesn't its job better than most of its genre that I've witnessed.

Testament of Youth is a lovely, thoughtful and well-made film that succeeds in saying what it wants to say without getting too distracted by the alluring pitfalls of its genre.

War Horse

War Horse. Steven Spielberg. Good movie. Tom Hiddleston. Benedict Cumberbatch.
The end.

Okay, okay, that's my short version. I'll see if I can come up with something a little longer...

War Horse. Steven Spielberg's WWI epic based on a novel and a play about a remarkable horse named Joey and his journey through the war. Young and unbroken, Joey is bought by Ted Narracott (Peter Mullan) who was supposed to buy a plow horse. Ted's wife Rosie (Emily Watson) is obviously none too happy with him when he brings back the useless beauty as they need a plow horse to make the money they need to keep their farm.

The Narracott's have a nice family argument about Ted's latest foolish purchase.

Their son Albert, who has been watching Joey grow up, is already enamored, and convinces them to let him keep and train Joey -- which he does -- and the two become as inseparable as a boy and his horse can be. Albert even gets Joey to plow the field, which is nothing short of a miracle, and things are looking up... until a huge storm washes away the crop and the Narracott's are right back where they started. When Britain goes to war Ted takes the opportunity to sell Joey for much needed money. Captain Nicholls (Tom Hiddleston) buys Joey, but promises to return him to Albert... if he can.

Promises, promises!

This is definitely a Spielberg movie. There is one dead give-away to that fact; no matter how you look at it, the leading character is a horse. No human characters get enough screen time for it to be anything else. But Joey is a good lead -- I could even praise the many horses that played him as good actors if I felt like it -- even though he never speaks we come to understand him and pull for him as he witnesses the horror of war, and finds the silver lining.

Best buds Joey and Albert.

If "main character" requirements include being human though, the title would fall to Albert, played by the then-newcomer Jeremy Irvine. Since he's starred in a couple more movies, including a version of Great Expectations that I'm almost dying to see, and see if Irvine isn't just a one-hit-wonder. In spite of being a newbie in a big Spielberg film, Irvine does a great job, and puts in a pleasing, solid performance, and holds his own against some pretty big names.

Benedict Cumberbatch, don't-know-don't-care, and Tom Hiddleston.

These guys are my favorite. I mean, really, how awesome is it that Loki and Khan were in this movie together before anyone even recognized that they were talented enough to play those iconic characters so amazingly? I find it to be... epic. And though they have small roles, they really stand out in them, and bring so much to the movie. It's amazing how quickly I became attached to those two characters. And as for "don't-know-don't-care" I feel that I should apologize... but I still don't care.

That's better. :)

It's a very large cast after all; I can't keep track of everyone. Besides the Narracott's and my favorite villains being good guys, that remarkable horse Joey crosses paths with, and makes an impact on many, many people, each very different and memorable and important in their own way. A real ensemble cast, and everyone's performances blends together ideally.

Emilie, a young French girl played by Celine Buckens.

Now, Spielberg sometimes tells his stories at the expense of reality and logic, and this film is certainly no exception, faulty logic and plot holes make appearances, and if they bother you, well, they bother you... but the beauty of his movies never really lies in the realm of realism, does it? Spielberg makes movies magical, and again, I find no exception here. It that magic that I love, and in my book, it easily overshadows some silly plot holes.

And speaking of classic Spielberg, the cinematography! Oh my goodness... there's no way I could do it justice by description, but even pictures can only show so much. (For the full effect, you know what to do!)

He might as well have left his signature on it.

My favorite thing about Spielberg is his use of imagery to create the feelings he wants convey, and the story of War Horse is completely equal and complementary to this style. The best moments in this movie are either silent, or subtext, and they're enhanced beautifully by camera work that borders on surrealism it's so perfect. Through this unique sentimental style War Horse becomes memorable a tale of courage, honor, love, and sacrifice, told episodically and sometimes with extra sap, but beautifully, artistically, and boldly. Not perfect, but if you allow it, it can sweep you away along with its many brief characters, and its brave four-legged hero, on a journey that I say is certainly worth taking.

Review number eight!