Atonement

A budding young writer named Briony witnesses an innocent act she doesn't fully understand between her older sister Cecilia (Keira Knightley) and long-time family servant Robbie (James McAvoy) one restless summer day on her family's lavish country estate in 1935 England that leads to scandal in Joe Wright's dreadfully sumptuous adaptation of Ian McEwan's international best-selling novel, "Atonement." Four years later, all three characters try to find their own personal sense of peace or redemption during WWII.

This brief synopsis does nothing to explain the intricate complexities of the plot and actions that take place. Although Keira Knightley's performance is slightly off-putting due to the fact she appears like she just escaped from a concentration camp (surely young British socialites did not look like this in the 1930's), the stunning cast shows full range here racing through curious emotions: spite, lust, recklessness, and selfish wanton abandon. The facial expressions, especially from the children in the early scenes on the estate, are priceless. None of the characters are particularly sympathetic as they are often vain, self-absorbed, and quite silly in their drama, but they are fascinating to watch. The first third of the film is played like a "Masterpiece Theater" production of "The Great Gatsby" as seen through the eyes of Nancy Drew.

However, what makes "Atonement" soar is the impeccable direction of Joe Wright. He makes the most audacious coming-of-age as an auteur since Anthony Minghella delivered "The English Patient" back in 1996. Wright displays a near Kubrickian mastery of sound effects (notice the strikes of the typewriter keys) that transition from scene to scene and often bleed into the amazing score from Dario Marianelli. Wright also crafts a finely textured mise-en-scene that visually translates McEwan's richly composed story onto the screen with near note perfect fashion. Nothing can really prepare you for how well directed this film is until you see it, and the scene of the three soldiers arriving on the beach at the Dunkirk evacuation is one of the greatest stand alone unedited panning long shots ever captured on film. It left me gasping.

That scene leads to the heart of the film. The often clichéd romance at the core is trumped by Wright's depiction of Robbie, a single man forlorn and obsessed, his dizzying inner turmoil reflected against the grand canvas of a chaotic world at war. Likewise, Briony's redemption comes not in the too-clever conclusion at the end of the film, but in the intimate and symbolic confessional at the bedside of a dying French soldier. These moments leave lasting impressions, and left me imagining that if Joe Wright were to ever adapt Irene Nemiorovsky's "Suite Francaise" onto the silver screen, he would knock it so far out of the park it would leave "Gone With Wind" spinning in its gilded Hollywood grave.

In 1930s England, Robbie is the son of a cleaning woman who has fallen in love with his mother's master's daughter (his childhood friend). On the same night where they reveal their love to each other, Robbie is accused by the woman's younger sister of a rape he didn't commit. Robbie is sent to jail and off to fight World War II... and for the remainder of the film, the two lovers try to reunite while the younger sister comes to term with the horrible mistake she made that tore her family apart.

Let me be honest up front: I had a very minimal interest in this film. I was mildly interested by its Oscar aspirations (7 nominations) and then I was slightly more interested when my friend Chelsea expressed interest (with whom I ended up seeing it). A chick flick starring Keira Knightley (who, to me, is a younger, classier Winona Ryder)? Not my first choice. Although, I went to go see "I Know Who Killed Me", so my instincts aren't always he greatest. Anyway, point being -- I saw this film half-heartedly and really liked it.

The beginning is really strong and interesting, and surprisingly funny. The involvement of a certain curse word (one of the more notorious ones) plays a big part and was funny in a somewhat awkward way. After the opening, the tone of the film turned decidedly darker... which you'd expect with a film about war and rape, I guess. Emotionally the film runs strong all the way through, working with loneliness and casualties of war (there's a scene later on with a dying French soldier that doesn't shy from showing the realities of war).

Worth singling out is a very long continuous shot (maybe 8 or 9 minutes) of English troops on the shores of France. We see troops singing, troops destroying jeeps, troops shooting horses and much more... to get this all in one shot is a major feat. The last long shot I recall is in "Children of Men", which ran about maybe 6 minutes but with much less going on to coordinate. The choreographer (or whoever) deserved the Oscar if anyone did, although in the end it only won a single award -- for best original soundtrack (which I don't recall as being a particularly stand-out score).

I think the film closed rather weakly after all the quality emotion (I can't really explain more without revealing things). But it's still a good film, only maybe losing a point from this closing. If you're a fan of period pieces or tough romance stories (this is no romantic comedy) this is for you. I don't know if I could watch it again -- it's good enough but a bit emotional. But I'm glad I saw it at least once and you should see it too.

The superb Ian McEwan book translated into cold beautiful images by the startling Joe Wright and scriptwriter Christopher Hampton. The result is a series of powerful rushes and abrupt stops. A pacing that, perhaps, is a bit too self conscious for its own good doesn't help us to connect the emotional dots. I had the feeling I had lost something in the love story of the protagonists - something that didn't happen to me reading the book. By the time the "injustice" takes place I was taken by the pain of the injustice but not by Knightley and McAvoy's liaison. Their love story is left to its own devices. The beauty of the images is overwhelming and the assuredness of Joe Wright at his second feature after the, much better, "Pride and Prejudice" keeps you going. The score tends to be monotonous and irritating but in spite of all that I intend to see "Atonement" again and I would recommend it with just the above mentioned reservations.

I deeply appreciate Atonement for other reasons and while the films are about 10 years apart I am utterly perplexed by how Nolan's Dunkirk became the critical darling it is, especially since this film exists. This film isn't about the evacuation of Dunkirk or WWII (those elements form the background for a fully realized troubled romance and family drama) and YET this film spends about 20 minutes on Dunkirk and it conveys the horror, defeat and dread of it it far sharper and more resonant than Nolan's film does for its entire run time. There is a one very long shot of soldiers on the beach that even manages to capture the whole what is time when facing your death thing better than Nolan's film.

With that being said I most appreciate the soft, luminous cinematography and the very atypical score in this film. Indeed atypical flourishes-the split perspective, the inserted fiction within the narrative, what's being atoned for etc.-greatly elevate a sweeping romance that might have been too conventional if the film played it straight up. It is really the details-sometimes as small as word choice-that really make this film a ravishing epic.

Doomed romances rest on their casting and I can say that both Knightley and McAvoy don't disappoint. McAvoy especially is really sexy, beautiful and emotional in this in that perfectly restrained British way. It may be his career best performance. Good film. It is much better than No Country for Old Men.

I usually don't like watching novels turned into movies (specially when I liked the novel as much as I liked McEwan's "Atonement") but this was a really pleasant surprise. The plot is extraordinarily well adapted, leaving out what cannot possibly be included in a two-hour film, changing very few details to translate literary language to cinematographic language but sticking to the essence and the spirit of the novel.

I really believe that if you enjoyed McEwan's novel, you will fall for this beautiful film. If you have never read McEwan, you will fall for the intriguing and thrilling story written by this wonderful English novelist.

Please, don't miss this one!