Testament
1983
Drama / Sci-Fi

Testament
1983
Drama / Sci-Fi
Plot summary
It is just another day in the small town of Hamlin until something disastrous happens. Suddenly, news breaks that a series of nuclear warheads has been dropped along the Eastern Seaboard and, more locally, in California. As people begin coping with the devastating aftermath of the attacks — many suffer radiation poisoning — the Wetherly family tries to survive.
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.BLU 1080p.BLUMovie Reviews
The Ordinary Atmosphere And Lack Of Excitement Actually Makes This Very Powerful
Dad leaves for work and everything goes to hell
I've seen this movie twice, and "Testament" still lingers in my brain as an atom bomb movie. And it's not really about that - the bomb comes and goes fairly quickly - but more about how a community comes together during the aftermath. It's kinda funny how the movie flips from TV commercial suburban life to sobering angst, where precious resources are rationed and then dry up completely.
But it is a powerful movie, thanks largely to the characters and the performances. Even as death loiters nearby and the losses keep piling up (god, this movie just keeps taking), there's Jane Alexander hanging on til the bitter end. Despite the climate of that period in the early '80s, subtlety is really this movie's strong suit. Characters die off, one by one, but it's never staged or theatrical. Very subdued; we'll just get a single image and put the horrifying pieces together.
It's kinda hard to believe there's a (tiny) ray of hope at the end of this thing. But man, it's a punishing journey.
7/10