Atonement -- originally a Booker Prize-shortlisted novel by Ian McEwan (for our Yankee friends, that's the Pulitzer for people from the British Commonwealth nations), transitioned into a critic fave for 2007. Usually a point for skepticism in the hands of the Reel Nerds, but every film gets a fair shake.
Quick Plot: Cecilia (Kiera Knightly, actually in a role not dissimilar to Elizabeth Swann of Pirates...) and Briony (played by a trio of Brits at different ages) are the daughters of the Tallis family, a family of standing and wealth. Robbie (James McAvoy, The Last King of Scotland) is the son of their housekeeper who, by the favor of the Tallis patriarch, has been educated at Cambridge and will be able to make something of himself. Robbie and Cecilia have an obvious sexual tension. Briony has an obvious crush on Robbie and an imagination to match, usually emptied into juvenile plays and novels. The couple have an entertaining (if ill-explained) courting which takes the first 1/3 of the film, punctuated by a highly amusing and "anatomic" letter from Robbie to C., as she is called.
Regrettably, Briony sees said letter and the silver-eyed munchkin becomes green-eyed. At a dinner party to which Robbie has been invited, 2 children run away, and during the search a third child is "assaulted" -- to the viewer, it is clear what really transpires, but Briony is blinded by her anger/envy. An accusation is made, lives are destroyed.
Years later, Britain is in the midst of WWII. The lovers are given a chance to regain their lost moments. Briony is trying to atone as well, realizing far too late the error she had made and could not undo. And there is hope for both parties, despite the battlefield for Robbie, despite the bombings for C. and Briony. There is always hope, isn't there?
The story, as brought to the film, is appropriately succinct. There are implications of what transpired in the intervening years --- too much to have tried to summarize without making a mockery of imprisonment and longing. But it is the final 10 minutes that truly address the title, the nature of forgiveness --- its intentions and futility. Perhaps I've said too much, but to say anymore would be to cheat the work.
The film, on the whole, works well. Even though the drive for the attraction between Robbie and C is left open (for us to assume it is the expression of a childhood shared), and the persistence of the romance perhaps far-fetched for our modern minds, it is a believable bond. The actors are obviously likable as well.
But one must always keep in mind that Briony remains the focus of the work, as it is her handiwork that triggers the rest. What is it like to live a life of guilt? Even more so, guilt over the wreckage of 2 lives you loved and crushed, without malicious intent? To say "I didn't mean to" does not mitigate the effects, does not allow for forgiveness.
The artistry of the film was particularly good. Scenes are seen in multiple views, from different perspectives, allowing us to see how events really happen, not only within the context of the film but in life. As the writing is integrated through the film, it is integrated into the music with typing as percussion, adding to the pacing of the film without too much need of the full symphony. There are parts some may find gratuitous without effect, such as seeing the masses of Brits escaping the Nazis at Dunkirk - perhaps a little too English Patient for some, but having recently completed Gravity's Rainbow I'm OK with it.
My basic rule for films will always be 1) What was the film aiming to be? and 2) Did it hit the mark? For Atonement, Yes and Yes. With more distance from the film, the more I appreciate it, and the finale in particular. If you liked End of the Affair, you will probably enjoy this, and vice versa. If you're not a big fan of WWII period pieces, you have been warned, but otherwise I recommend it.
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