Nov 5
International Film Forum: TESTAMENT OF YOUTH
Testament of Youth (James Kent, 2014, UK/Denmark, 129 min.) – introduced by David Tompkins
“Based on Vera Brittain’s seminal 600-page memoir about her life and experiences during World War I … Testament of Youth is an epic sweep through those tragic, turbulent times when, exactly one century ago, its characters were paying the ultimate price of patriotism on foreign, rain-soaked soil. […] The result is the rarest of cinematic birds – a war film about women – and just maybe the best of that limited breed. [Director James Kent:] ‘Fifty percent of the population is normally cut out of war films. It’s all about machismo, which is like an advocacy for war. Our film says, “War is a dangerous thing,” and women feel that acutely – they’re mothers, sisters, daughters. They are emotionally more connected to their men than men are to themselves or each other. I think a loss of a mother far outweighs any other kind of suffering on Earth. That’s a very powerful constituency to make a war film about.’” (Harry Haun, Film Journal International)
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