TESTAMENT OF YOUTH - review

TESTAMENT OF YOUTH
Director: James Kent
Cast: Alicia Vikander, Kit Harrington, Taron Egerton, Colin Morgan, Emily Watson, Dominic West

TESTAMENT OF YOUTH is the film adaptation of Vera Brittain's memoir and is a tastefully executed film that doesn't quite do the powerful and moving memoir justice. Vera Brittain's story is an incredible journey of a young woman desperate to make something of herself and become a writer whose world is torn apart by the ravages of war. She gives up her hard earned place at Oxford to volunteer as a nurse, loses a friend, her fiance and her brother - a cruel irony given that she convinced her father to let him sign up.

If you haven't read the book and you like to read, I would recommend reading the book over watching the film. The film is fine enough, it tells the story well, but doesn't leave room for the passion and anger that should have been depicted in this film about the horrors of war. Alicia Vikander plays a lovely Vera, but she isn't afforded the time or direction to really let show the breadth and depth of emotion that should have been there.

such a lovely ensemble whose talents were a little wasted

The performances all round were lovely, but everyone seemed slightly reserved. It felt a little like it was just on the peak of the emotional explosion, but for fear of offending people or perhaps a desire to keep it all in good taste director Kent doesn't let it go. Given the sheer talent of this fantastic little ensemble I was disappointed. Vikander has one brief moment at the end of the film where she lets rip on the futility of war, but I wanted more. Kit Harrington (Vera's fiance Roland) comes back from the front on home leave and you can tell he's tormented, but again, apart from one moment where the anguish really shines through, the emotion is a little stiff. Taron Egerton (Vera's brother Edward) and Colin Morgan (Vera's friend Victor) are also both wonderful actors and yet they seem a little lost in this piece. Egerton's relationship with Vikander is natural and loving and they seem as close as siblings can get, but when Edward dies just a short time after Vera saved his life in a 'hospital' at the front she should be madder, and sadder or something. We should have been given more - I felt more, but I didn't get to share that more with the characters.

Vera and Roland on their first real date

I felt like I should have been a sobbing mess during parts of this film, but the emotion was held back just enough that it didn't quite take me there. I had one moment where a few tears fell, but I wasn't the blubbering mess I had prepared myself to be. I could tell the points where Kent wanted to audience to really feel and to open the flood gates, but I wasn't taken there and that's saying something given that I usually cry at the drop of a hat in films!

Overall the film is lovely, well executed, well acted and well directed. There isn't much to fault it on in terms of the quality of the production, however it was a little more reserved that I had been anticipating and to me that was disappointing. With such a powerful and affecting source material, I think there was so much more that could have been acheived in this film. No matter, I'm still glad I went to see it. I think it will sit well with most audiences, and that people who have perhaps not read A TESTAMENT OF YOUTH will enjoy it and will not find fault with the level of emotion in the film as I did.

If you don't mind the odd war film, superb costuming and set design, lovely acting and a hint of romance then I think it's worth spending the 20-something dollars on a ticket for TESTAMENT OF YOUTH. If however you have read the book and have high hopes for this piece, either lower your expectations significantly, or save your dollars and wait for it to come out on DVD.

xoxo
The Blonde Bombshell

BOYCHOIR - review

BOYCHOIR
Director: Francois Girard
Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Kevin McHale, Kathy Bates, Eddie Izzard, Josh Lucas, Debra Winger, Garrett Wareing

For me, days off equal small sleep ins, housework, cups of tea and taking myself and my latest crochet project to the movies. Today was no exception. I took my latest crochet WIP (a baby blanket, of which I seem to be making many at the moment), and off I went to the Sun Theatre with nothing more than a plan to see some films. I had seen the trailer for X+Y, but I hadn't seen anything for BOYCHOIR, all I knew was what the poster showed me - Dustin Hoffman conducting a boys choir. I picked it purely based on the time it was showing and how it fitted into my lazy day of doing nothing. Had I seen the trailer, I would have still wanted to watch it. Had I read some of the reviews, I might have been dubious.

Screening last year during the Toronto International Film Festival, BOYCHOIR has divided audiences and the split is quite uneven. There are some truly scathing reviews out there from proper critics, that I'm not sure I agree with entirely. I mean they make some good points, but I think they're a bit harsh. Don't worry, I know that movies are subjective and that not everything is for everyone, and that most critics are a little more selective in their likes than I am. For I am but a humble pleb with a tiny little blog about films that I see in my spare time. I have no official training in reviewing films, I did not study film at university (although I kind of wish I had), I just like movies and I like to talk about them, always have and probably always will. 

BOYCHOIR is sitting on 61% on Rotten Tomatoes, but has suffered greatly at the hands of film critics around the world, but don't let that turn you off. This film from acclaimed director Francois Girard (THE RED VIOLIN) depicts the tale of rebellious pre-teen Stet (Wareing), with the voice of an angel, whose principal believes that he has a gift and does all that she can to push him to pursue his talent. Choral singing of all things.  Having just lost his drug and alcohol addicted mother in a car accident, his father (who has another family and who has kept Stet's existence a secret) schmoozes on behalf of Stet to get him into a prestigious school on the east coast for choir boys by way of a hefty cheque - after all money makes the world go round. There Stet meets Wooly (Kevin McHale), the teacher who believes in him, Drake (Eddie Izzard), the teacher who is afraid he will sabotage his own child singing prodigy, and the grumpy-ass choir master (Dustin Hoffman) who sees his talent, but doesn't believe he has the hutzpah to stick it out. 

Josh Lucas and Garrett Wareing - buying Stet's way into school

The film is a little predictable, with Stet achieving a number of little victories en route to the climactic ending that you can see coming from a mile away, but that doesn't stop it from being uplifting and nice. It certainly doesn't stop you from getting goosebumps when those boys open their mouths and the magic of choral music just tumbles out in glorious surround sound. There are some missed opportunities in the script to take the film on a slightly less predictable route, but it follows the very successful formula of so many before it - disadvantaged child with amazing gift, great opportunity to pursue said gift, demanding and tough-love giving teacher/mentor, happy ending, all the lessons are learnt. Particularly the lesson of carpe diem - a soprano singing career is a short one for a boy - if you've got a gift use it and use it now, time is after all, fleeting.

Stet singing a glorious solo

Yes it was predictable, yes it could have been so much more, yes, yes, yes to many of the criticisms this film is receiving. But you know what people? I still enjoyed it - and if that makes me a pleb with undiscerning taste and low expectations (thank you nameless critic) then so be it. 

Everyone loves a heartwarming story about the underdog who against the odds succeeds. The film is not overly sentimental until the very last scene, which I could have done without, and the ridiculous closing credits song by Josh Gorban, which I also could have done without. Aside from that there are strong performances from a fantastic ensemble cast, with Hoffman of course being the standout. 

Izzard, McHale and Hoffman 

Wareing tackles this character well and although I think Stet is like most of the other characters in the film in that he was slightly underdeveloped as a character, Wareing has done a pretty great job. He even went into intensive training at a real life American boy choir school in Princeton (yup, that's a thing guys, boy choir school is a real ting) to learn how to sing and he hit a high D. That right there is commitment people, the journey to a high D is rough going. 

settling in is never easy - particularly at an all boys choir school

I think BOYCHOIR getting a bit of a bum rap. Although it's predictable, it's also heartwarming and the singing, my god, I got goosebumps. If films about singing are not your thing, and you don't love a predictable, heartwarming tale of an underdog who comes out on top the avoid this film like the plague.  I could have happily waited to see this at home, or in fact just listen to the soundtrack which is the true highlight of this film. But as I've said many a time before, I quite like getting hit in the feels, and hit I got. 

BOYCHOIR is not a knockout, but it's nice. If you had to choose only one film to see this week, then I probably wouldn't recommend paying the 20-something dollars to see it on the big screen, and if you don't like choral music then definitely don't fork out that kind of cash. However, if you're looking for uplifting and nice, and you can find it in your heart to let the music make up for it's predictability then go. 

3 out of 5

xoxo

The Blonde Bombshell