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Testament Reviews
In other hands, a film of such unadorned fatalism might seem useless, an exercise in emotional sadism. But “Testament” isn’t punishing, exactly. It’s frank, intimate, poetic in its elisions and profoundly haunting in its effect.
Originally produced for PBS’s American Playhouse, Lynne Littman’s Testament is one of that program’s standout entries, a vision of nuclear apocalypse whose horrors are felt rather than seen.
There is a fantastic intimacy to Testament, one that separates it from its contemporaries. The rural setting and geographical distance from any explosions create an eerily quiet and more insidious apocalypse.
Living an unspeakable nightmare from which there's no waking, [Alexander] suggests a resilient admirable core of humanity.
Although Testament was made on a tiny budget (4750,000), the photography is of high quality and director, Lynne Littman has made excellent use of her limited resources.
There's nothing impersonal about this movie. Nothing unbelievable, either, if you believe the human animal has a core of righteousness that can shine like a sun when everything else has been lost.
[Testament] is a haunting, emotionally devastating movie.
It's a simple and resourceful film and one that has been made with unmistakable conviction.
Towering over every other performance is Jane Alexander's Carol Wetherly. It is a side of Alexander that no one has caught before, not even in her finest work.
It is impossible not to be affected or frightened by Testament.
What lingers after seeing Testament is a warm feeling, one which comes from watching a group of people continue to give of themselves, to show compassion and love, even in the face of unimaginable adversity.
Despite its flaws, Testament achieves a commendable goal: It makes you confront nuclear war in a very personal way.
Littman's direction and Jane Alexander's acting are good, too good to be wasted on this thin, sad, sentimental phantom of a film.
Extraordinarily powerful.
It is shattering, devastating and unforgettable. Jane Alexander deserves an Oscar for her performance as the mother of the family.
What makes Testament so affecting is the struggle of a California family to continue on as though nothing had happened. The life force still beats within the heart of the schoolteacher-mother, played exquisitely by Jane Alexander.
It can sober and depress, certainly; but often it does uplift.
Focusing on one family in a small northern California town that seems to have survived an initial attack, Littman quickly loses interest in the logic of the concept and begins pushing the sentimental pornography of death.
This is one of the best movies ever made about the futility of nuclear war. You'll cry buckets, but don't miss it.
Although Testament lacks the special-effects power and pre-release hype, it is a far better film than television's The Day After. And while its perspective is totally different, the effect is the same heart-rending, sickening depression.