Originally made for television, Lynne Littman’s 1983 film Testament takes a human, grounded approach to the sensationalized topic of nuclear devastation. Based on the short story “The Last Testament” by Carol Amen, Testament is as prevalent today (given recent world events) as it was in the 1980s. Falling in line with other films regarding Cold War anxieties — the harrowing 1984 British TV film Threads and the depressing 1983 American TV film The Day After — the film takes an intimate look at a family wrestling with their new harrowing reality of radiation sickness, polluted air, and devastating mortality.
L-R: Roxana Zal as Mary Liz, Lukas Haas as Scottie, Jane Alexander as Carol and Ross Harris as Brad in TESTAMENT. Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
We follow the Wetherly family, led by father Tom (William Devane), mother Carol (Jane Alexander), daughter Mary Liz (Roxana Zal), son Brad (Ross Harris), and youngest son Scottie (Lukas Haas). The film gives us about 20 minutes to settle in with this family, learn their lovingly mundane routines, and understand the bond that connects them. Not too long after Tom heads off to San Francisco for work, the Wetherly family finds themselves gathered into the living room when an emergency broadcast comes on the TV stating that nuclear devices have exploded along the East Coast. A blinding white light engulfs the living room followed by an air raid siren. As the Wetherly family rises up from crouching in terror and walks outside amongst other confounded neighbors, the emotional aftermath of nuclear devastation begins.
L-R: Jane Alexander as Carol and Lukas Haas as Scottie in TESTAMENT. Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
As director Littman (Number Our Days) navigates the emotional complexity of John Sacret Young’s (Romero) terse but powerful script, the one core factor that holds it all together is Jane Alexander’s (All the president’s Men) fantastic Oscar-nominated performance. Putting herself into the role of a woman who is forced to protect and nurture her kids under very dangerous conditions while also grappling with her own fear and anxieties, Alexander’s performance is one for the ages. She masters a range of emotions as her family and other citizens of the fictional suburb of Hamelin, California, are thrown through the emotional wringer and physical toll the nuclear devastation brings upon them. She visibly retains strength, exudes maternal instincts (including taking in a local boy and a mentally disabled child who both have lost their parents), and still gives herself time to grieve and scream with pained anguish. It’s a finely tuned performance that wouldn’t be felt as tangibly if it was in the hands of a lesser actor. Joining Alexander is a terrific supporting cast including Zal (River’s Edge), Harris (Airplane!), and Haas (Brick), who play her children. There is a terrific scene of exploring the beautiful connection between mother and daughter in which Mary Liz asks her mother what it’s like to “make love”. Faced with the reality that she may never experience sex, let alone have sex with someone she is “in love” with, she tells Carol to not “play mother” and to give it to her straight. What follows is a beautiful monologue in which Carol describes the love she has for Mary’s father and “making love” itself — not the physical details but the emotional details. Roxana Zal carries this scene equally with Alexander, not in dialogue but in her emphatic facial responses to her mother baring her soul and trying her best to give her daughter the idea of being intimate with a person that is “your person”.
Ross Harris shines as Brad Wetherly, a young man forced to be the man of the house while his father is gone and having to help his mom cope with this horrid “new normal”. He carries his scenes with compassion and growth, something rarely seen in a young actor. Even veteran actor Lukas Haas has his moment to shine as the youngest, carrying an emotional scene in which he pleads for his mom to “make it stop” — the pain, the sadness of missing his father, the feeling that “it’s not all gonna be ok,” and all she can do is respond, in the most loving way a mother can, with “I can’t”. Another shining spotlight in the cast is a pre-fame Kevin Costner (For the Love of the Game) who plays Phil Pitkin, a husband to wife Cathy (a pre-fame Rebecca De Mornay) who loses a newborn due to the radiation poisoning. He delivers in a heartbreaking scene where he discusses finding a wooden dresser big enough for his newborn’s body. His screen presence and range shine a light on the leading man he would become in the decades to follow.
Jane Alexander as Carol in TESTAMENT. Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
In Lynne Littman’s documentary “Testament” at 20, a documentary celebrating the film’s 20th anniversary, Jane Alexander states the film is about “sheets”. Not in the literal sense, but in the way in which Littman transitions from one emotional state to another. When we begin the film, we see Carol ripping the sheet off her bed to begin her normal day (pre-nuclear holocaust). In another scene, we see her use a sheet to swaddle one of her children who is bleeding due to radiation. In another, she uses the sheets to wrap up the body of a loved one who has passed. These subtle transitions are what stand as a testament to Littman’s amazing, nuanced direction. As she navigates the highs and extremely harrowing lows of Sacret Young’s hard-hitting script, she never strays far away from the themes of the resilient power of hope and how love rises above death and destruction. When a character dies, Littman signals it by displaying a slowed-down clip from a home video, making sure the character’s death is not in vain. James Horner’s (Titanic) excellent score of impending doom mixed with muted hope permeates these beautifully somber transitions. The score works hand-in-hand with Littman’s powerful, subtle direction and that, among other great qualities, is what makes Testament more than worthy of a Criterion entry.
L-R: Ross Harris as Brad and William Devane as Tom in TESTAMENT. Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
This 1080 p Criterion release is jam-packed with supplemental content that not only complements the film but also complements Littman’s work as a documentarian. Two documentaries by Littman, made with anthropologist Barbara Myerhoff, are included in this release along with the delightful, aforementioned “Testament” at 20. Another great documentary included is Nuclear Thoughts, a piece including nuclear-science experts. Also included is a great Littman interview with author Sam Wasson as well as an audio recording of Jane Alexander reading the short story “The Last Testament”. The picture here is gorgeous; the restoration of this film makes it look (no hyperbole intended) as if it was made recently rather than in 1983. The natural lighting shines like never before and the details of the broken domesticated life are in full scope. For any admirers of powerful emotional cinema and stories that tell of persistence in dire situations, Testament is the film to own.
Testament Special Features:
- *NEW* 4K digital restoration, supervised and approved by director Lynne Littman and director of photography Steven Poster, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
- *NEW* conversation between Littman and author Sam Wasson
- Two documentaries by Littman, made in collaboration with anthropologist Barbara Myerhoff: Number Our Days (1976) and In Her Own Time (1985)
- “Testament” at 20 and Nuclear Thoughts, archival programs featuring interviews with cast and crew members and nuclear-science experts
- Audio recording of actor Jane Alexander reading the short story “The Last Testament,” on which the film is based
- Trailer
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- PLUS: An essay by author and film curator Michael Koresky
Available now on Blu-Ray March 17th, 2026.
For more information, head to the official The Criterion Collection Testament webpage.
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Categories: Films To Watch, Home Video, Recommendation, Reviews
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