Atonement is one of those sleeper films that emerged during the year-end onslaught of Oscar potentials and gained steam immediately. Based on the novel Atonement by Ian McEwan, the movie depicts a compelling British romance that takes place in 1935.
James McAvoy
The beautiful Cecilia Tallis (Keira Knightley) has just graduated and returned to her plush family estate. There are lovely parties, dancing the fox trot and mingling with potential suitors. While her father expects her to marry in her class, Cecilia has never gotten over her love for Robbie Turner (James McAvoy), their servant's son.
Saoirse Ronan
Robbie is also in love with Cecilia, and their clandestine romance builds to new heights, which does not sit well with Cecilia's younger sister Briony (Saoirse Ronan), a writer of plays and stories who idolizes Robbie. One night when the Tallis family is entertaining, Briony is sexually accosted. Wanting to break up her sister's storybook romance, she lies and claims Robbie was the abuser.
Keira Knightley & Saoirse Ronan
Cecilia never believes this for a minute, even when Robbie goes off to prison. The movie then moves forward to World War II and traces not only Robbie fighting for his country but also Cecilia still longing for him as well as Cecilia and her sister's roles in the war. Some of these scenes tend to go on too long, and for an instant seem to be a different movie altogether – until the end of the film when they all make sense. The emotional arc of the story, however, concentrates on Briony who is now a grown woman played by Romola Garai and even later by Vanessa Redgrave.
Vanessa Redgrave & Romola Garai
The magic of Atonement results from its clever and impressive script by noted British playwright Christopher Hampton (The Quiet American). With remarkable story-telling skill few screenwriters ever accomplish, Hampton delves into the lives of these main characters in terms of how they connect, live out their regrets, and embrace their futures.
Keira Knightley and James McAvoy create exceptional sexual chemistry that makes their characters heartfelt, credible and keep us spellbound to their plight. Yet the story is really Briony's, and all three of the women who play her are outstanding in taking Briony from a young jealous girl to a woman wrought with guilt from the pain she caused her family because of her lie.
"In Atonement we were questioning one single truth as opposed to multiple truths," said Director Joe Wright. Atonement, though set in the past, has contemporary relevance; it is about everyday experiences, relationships, emotions, choices, and decisions."
Wright (Pride & Prejudice) gets partial credit for "Atonement's" sweeping cinematic appeal. Capturing images that transcend a romance from a palatial family estate and keeping it smoldering through the horrors of a war is a tough job but one cinematographer Seamus McGarvey, set designer Katie Spencer and costumer Jacqueline Durran pull off superbly; and all inspired by Dario Marianelli's romantic and emotional score.
I liked the film immediately, but I was really surprised when several of my male critic/friends said I had to see it. What really sets Atonement apart from other films is the incredible one-two punch at the end that you never see coming and might think about for days. As noted by Redgrave, the movie is "a cinematic symphony; it’s a real film – and a heartrending one."
Photo Credit: Focus Features/Alex Bailey
