Line #37 Film/Testament


1	[[quoteright:305:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/testament1983.jpg]]
2
3	''Testament'' is a 1983 drama film, directed by Lynne Littman and starring Creator/JaneAlexander and Creator/WilliamDevane, about a nuclear exchange and the effects it has on a small suburban community outside of UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco.
4
5	Unlike ''Film/TheDayAfter'' and ''Film/{{Threads}}'', which deal with the catastrophic effect of direct strikes, the town of Hamlin suffers no physical damage from the bombs. Instead the residents are forced to deal with the (literal) fallout, as well as gradual radiation poisoning and the drawn-out collapse of what's left of the world outside.
6
7	Originally produced for Creator/{{PBS}}' ''Series/AmericanPlayhouse'', it received such high acclaim that Creator/{{Paramount}} picked it up for a limited theatrical release. Jane Alexander earned a Best Actress UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nomination for her performance.
8
9	----
10	!!This film provides examples of:
11
12	* AbandonedPlayground: A shot of one is juxtaposed with images of a mass graveyard.
13	* AdaptationExpansion: The film is based on the short story "The Last Testament" by Carol Amen.
14	* AfterTheEnd: The movie takes place in a world where humans are slowly dying out from radiation poisoning.
15	* ApocalypseHow: Class 1, possibly a Class 2.
16	* BittersweetEnding: Most of the town, including [[spoiler:two]] of Carol's children are dead, and she and her son are both dying from radiation poisoning, but she tells him they need to remember it all, "the good and the awful", for the sake of whoever might survive. Still, this is a more hopeful ending than the short story it was based on which ends on an unambiguous {{Downer Ending}}.
17	* CoolOldGuy: Henry Abhart. Brad spends a lot of time with him, even as the man gets sicker.
18	* CruelAndUnusualDeath: Radiation poisoning definitely counts.
19	* DeathOfAChild: [[spoiler:Most of the children, and one actual infant, die of radiation poisoning.]]
20	* DespairEventHorizon: Most characters succumb to one eventually.
21	* DisappearedDad: Tom doesn't make it back from San Francisco. Not surprising, considering [[spoiler:it was obliterated]].
22	* DrivenToSuicide: Subverted. [[spoiler:Carol]] decides it would be better to commit suicide rather than die slowly of radiation poisoning, but she can't go through with it.
23	* EmergencyBroadcast: Briefly, before San Francisco is nuked and the signal is lost.
24	%%* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt
25	* FaceDeathWithDignity: What Carol and her oldest son eventually decide to do.
26	* ForDoomTheBellTolls: At several points, most notably at the end of the film.
27	* HappierHomeMovie: The film juxtaposes home-movie footage, used to show the happy times of the family members who are the main characters, with life in the small town after the bomb.
28	* HappilyAdopted: Hiroshi, the developmentally disabled son of the owner of the town gas station, is happy to go with Carol after [[spoiler:his father dies]]. Larry, a neighboring child, is also adopted when his parents don't return from San Francisco, but he's hardly happy.
29	* {{Housewife}}: Carol was one.
30	* ImColdSoCold: Nobody actually says this, but a number of characters start wrapping themselves in blankets. Chills are a RealLife symptom of radiation sickness.
31	* IncurableCoughOfDeath: A symptom of radiation poisoning, and a good sign that a character isn't going to live much longer.
32	%%* MamaBear: Carol.
33	* OhCrap: On several occasions. The most obvious is the EmergencyBroadcast, but a subtler one comes from Henry Abhart, who tells Carol's son Brad that he can no longer raise a reply from Santa Rosa, implying everyone there has been killed by the radiation. After [[spoiler:Henry dies]], Brad fails to contact ''anyone''.
34	* OminousHairLoss: At one point late in the movie, Carol runs a hand through her hair and a large chunk falls out. Hair loss is a symptom of radiation poisoning.
35	* OutlivingOnesOffspring: The main character, Carol, is a mother of three children, [[spoiler:two of whom die of radiation poisoning. The third is visibly sick by the end of the movie.]] Her husband, who was in San Francisco when the bombs were dropped, [[spoiler:never comes home.]]
36	* PottyFailure: A tragic example, as it becomes a symptom of radiation sickness. [[spoiler: Scottie]] succumbs to his before he dies.
37	* PrecisionFStrike: At one point, Carol voices her anger at whoever was responsible for the attack, saying, "Goddamn you!" Remember, this was meant to be a made-for-TV movie in 1983.
38	* TheRadioDiesFirst: That and the television. Henry has a ham radio that he uses to keep in touch with other communities, but no other technology works.
39	* RiddleForTheAges: The characters never do learn who attacked, or why, and neither does the audience.
40	* SchoolPlay: The children had been rehearsing ''The Pied Piper of Hamelin'' before the bombs fell, and put it on anyway. Most of the adult audience are in tears by the end.
41	* SanitySlippage: Understandably, Carol has a little of this.
42	* StuffBlowingUp: Averted. While there is a bright flash of light when San Francisco is hit, we never see anything blow up.
43	* VomitDiscretionShot: Carol is heard vomiting (another symptom of radiation poisoning), but it's only shown in silhouette.
44

Context Film / Testament