Aah thank Reagan for 80s nuclear war paranoia. While the Star Wars obsessed Prez was screaming about Evil Empires the world of the moving picture busied itself with various portrayals of the explosive end, and on the lo-fi end of the Spectrum we got Testament, a 1983 film dealing with the aftermath of a nuclear attack on the USA from the perspective of a small town.

We don't get any mushroom cloud imagery instead we are informed of the attack via a few snatched news broadcasts and a chillingly pognient phone message left by the main characters husband (who was visiting LA). Instead the trust of Testament is the ragged end of life afterwards.

The dwindling supplies, the lack of outside contact and the creeping radiation sickness that begins to afflict the towns inhabitants all combine to make this a crushingly bleak affair, in contrast to the ultimately shallow "The Day After" (another 1983 nuclear war feature).

The main focus which centers on the now widowed Jane Alexander and her children and the effects of radiation on their health is heartbreaking to endure. The film refuses to throw up any bright spots as we watch the young children wither and die one by one, all confused and scared by the silent brutality of what is killing them.

Its a movie that really throws into focus how awful the TV show Jericho is. That show is nuclear aftermath done by naive schoolkids, Testament is the grown-up serious stab.

Stick this on as a double bill with "Threads" and wallow in the bleak nuclear fire.

A+