James Kent’s Testament of Youth is a period drama set in the tumultuous years leading up to 1920, when the futures of a young generation were suddenly upended by World War I.
Based on the 1933 memoir by Vera Brittain, the story follows the author as a free-thinking young woman – played by Ex Machina breakout Alicia Vikander – as she goes against societal expectations to study literature and writing at Oxford University. She also begins to fall for the charming Roland Leighton, played by Kit Harrington (HBO’s Game of Thrones). Once the war breaks out in Germany, adding Roland, Vera’s brother Edward, and countless other young men to the rank of English soldiers, Vera abandons her studies to join in the efforts and become a war nurse.
The film also stars Taron Egerton (Kingsman: Secret Service) as Edward, Colin Morgan (TV’s Merlin), Dominic West (300), Hayley Atwell (Captain America) and Emily Watson (The Book Thief).
You can see the new clip over at EW, which exhibits Vera’s independent and bold spirit as she is undaunted by Roland’s more reserved, era-appropriate romantic advances. This same spirit will later come into play as she refuses to sit idly by while the war wreaks devastation on her country’s men.
Testament of Youth is slated for a limited June 5 release. See the official trailer here.
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