mauramartindale

I wasn't the biggest fan of the book, but good god this is absolutley dreadful. I don't understand what they were thinking in making the plot nonlinear; it doesn't make sense for the story. The terrorist attack is the driving force for the (little) agency Theo has, removing that by not showing what happened, except for fragmented pieces, completely undermines the story. The explosion is the reason Theo has the painting, its the reason he has Welty's ring and goes to Hobie. Story beats that should have emotional impact have none--such as the ring--because they transpire before and not after the event leading up to them taking place. The story is not a mystery and should not be portrayed as one.

The acting, with a couple of exceptions (including the child actors) is pretty bland, downright bad at times. Nicole Kidman is awful, whispering most of her lines does not make her come of as poised and calculating. Ansel Elgort is not much better, something not helped by the fact that Theo is a unlikable character, in book and movie. This movie is a perfect example of how to not adapt a book.

I watched this film years ago and there are some scenes that are still very vivid in my mind. The actors did the best with what they were given, and the cinematography is decent, but this is a lackluster adaptation of an incredible book. Personalities are changed, or they simply lack them, events are changed or made up when the actual events were harrowing and heartwrenching, and so it made no sense to change it for dramatic effect; the scene at the Front with Vera and Edward was not necessary. The Front, and its horrors, weren't that well portrayed in my opinion, it was all too clean. I thought the lake and its symbolism was a real thing... turns out it's not and I'm kind of disappointed that they chose to use it as a symbol of Vera's bond with the boys instead of portraying it as it was in real life; the relationships and their personalities is watered down which is such a shame. I honestly don't think Testament of Youth is suited to be adapted as a movie, perhaps a tv series, but even then it would be hard to portray it because the book relies so heavily on Brittain's own words: her recollections, diaries, poems etc., as well as the poems and letters of Roland, Edward, Victor and Geoffrey. It is also a shame how little Winifred Holtby feature in this. I get ending it with the war ending and her going back to Oxford, but I also think it was a mistake because there is so much more to Vera's story than only the war years.