Atonement

PREMIER MOVIE REVIEWS - Atonement (2007)

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Atonement (2007)

Genre: Drama/Romance/War

Director: Joe Wright

Certificate: Atonement was rated 15A by the Irish Film Censor's Office (www.ifco.ie) i.e. suitable for those of 15 years of age or upwards. Those under the age of 15 must be accompanied by an adult.

Violence = moderate. Drugs = none. Sex/Nudity = moderate. Language = strong.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: Atonement

Plot Summary & Review

Let me firstly say I have not read the book, so cannot say if this film is a faithful recreation of events or whether it manages to capture the essence of Ian Mc Ewan's novel.

Atonement is set in England in the mid to late thirties and we see the upper class Tallis family hosting a weekend get together at their rambling house in the country. Cecilia Tallis (Keira Knightley) has just finished university and is deciding what to with her life. Enter Robbie Turner (James McAvoy), also recently returned from his studies, the housekeeper's son whose dad deserted them years ago, whom Cecilia's father took under his wing, and as a result took responsibility for his education, eventually sending him to Oxford.

Keira Knightley Photo
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The key to the whole movie is 13 year-old Briony Tallis (Saoirse Ronan) Cecilia's younger sister who has a mad schoolgirl crush on Robbie but realises that his heart belongs to another. She is a budding young writer, with an over fertile and flamboyant imagination, and feels hurt and rejected when she witnesses a romantic liaison prior to dinner one evening. During an unfortunate episode she points the finger of suspicion at the innocent Robbie and his life is turned upside down as a result of this spiteful and unfounded accusation.

This one single event changes the course of several people's lives, ostensibly Cecilia's and Robbie's, and we see a sweeping love story unfold set against the backdrop of World War II. The attention to detail in this film is exquisite, and director Joe Wright has created a sumptuous human tableau that just keeps you transfixed despite its sometimes slow pace. A fifteen minute scene set on Dunkirk beach during the evacuation provides some of the best cinematography I have witnessed for quite some time, as its sepia style sweeps along the beach encompassing so many separate set pieces.

Atonement is not a frenzied passionate love story, but a tender understated portrayal of two people who are kept apart by circumstances. The acting is of the highest quality and Keira Knightley is perfect as the English Rose with the clipped English accent who has it all in the palm of her hand (or has she?) – (though hand on heart I’m not sure if it's an Oscar winning performance). For me McAvoy steals the film with his huge blue eyes that are so expressive he could have almost gone through the whole thing without uttering a word. Praise too for the other two ages of Briony (at 18, Romola Garai) and (in her latter years, Vanessa Redgrave) - both give excellent performances. There is an ending that I hadn't quite figured out but which made the whole thing even more poignant and it certainly pulls at the heartstrings.

My only criticism and I'm probably in the minority here but Atonement lacks that burning passion at times that you'd expect from a love story of this calibre - that said, it didn't disappoint or spoil the overall experience and one of the better movies you'll see this year by far. In a word - Wonderful.

Reviewed by Mary Kate, Premier Movie Reviews 2007

If you enjoy Atonement you might also enjoy: Pearl Harbor.

Main Cast

Keira Knightley

James McAvoy

Romola Garai

Saoirse Ronan

Brenda Blethyn

Vanessa Redgrave

Juno Temple

RATING