Testament of Youth (2014) on Netflix
PG-1320142h 9mBiographyDramaHistory
In 1914, Vera Brittain passes the Oxford entrance exam despite her father's opposition. Her brother's friend Roland Leighton shares her love of poetry, and they begin a romance.
- Netflix3.9/5
- IMDb7.2/1032,119 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes84%
Trailer
Plot summary
Vera Brittain is an independent young woman in Buxton who wants to leave her traditional family and study at Oxford, but her father opposes the plan. She earns a place at Somerville College. Her brother Edward and his schoolmates Roland Leighton and Victor Richardson also aim for Oxford. Roland, who is interested in poetry and writing as she is, becomes her suitor, and she knows Victor is in love with her. When war comes in 1914, Vera persuades her father to let Edward join the army, and she gives up her Oxford studies to become a nurse.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Testament of Youth (2014)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- To play the war-blinded Victor Richardson, Colin Morgan interviewed ex-service men and women and spent a day at Blind Veterans UK's Brighton Centre, where he received the same training as blind veterans while blindfolded.
- Saoirse Ronan was initially attached to play Vera Brittain; Kit Harington joined the cast in February 2014 as her fiancé Roland Leighton.
- Merton College, Oxford stood in for Somerville College in Vera Brittain's student scenes because filming at Somerville itself was judged too difficult owing to new buildings put up since the film's period.
