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.
Acting
Jane Alexander's Oscar-nominated devastation — every micro-expression cuts.
Direction
Littman stays intimate, never spectacle. The horror is in the waiting.
Writing
No explosions, just people failing to comprehend the incomprehensible.
Director
Lynne Littman
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Shot on a $3 million budget, it premiered on PBS before theatrical release — the network feared it was too bleak for TV. They were right.
Released the same year as 'The Day After' and 'Threads,' but Testament's domestic focus made it linger longer. This is the one that actually broke Reagan.
US
