The film tells the story of Briony Tallis (Saoirse Ronan), a thirteen year old aspiring writer. She’s got a bit of a crush on the groundskeeper Robbie (James McAvoy – and who could blame her!), who is in love with Briony’s older sister Cecilia (Keira Knightley). Briony sees something she shouldn’t have. Whether through misunderstanding, or perhaps more likely, through jealousy, the witnessing of this event leads Briony to accuse Robbie of a crime he did not commit. This ruins not only his life, but also Cecilia’s. years later, during World War II, an older and much wiser Briony (Romola Garai) decides she must try and set things right.
This film tells a beautiful story of love, revenge and the search for salvation. Briony, the writer, is in complete control of the story, the film and subsequently the audience. It’s also about the righteousness we feel when we’re young. Teenagers think they know everything, and believe that they can see things adults can’t, or won’t. I remember doing something as a kid, probably around Briony’s age, that lead to a lot of people in my family being hurt, all because I felt this sense of right and wrong. Also, I was a bit of a goodie-two-shoes. Luckily for me that there weren’t more serious consequences. I regret my decision, and so does Briony. Her attempts to atone (geddit?) for her actions are heartbreaking to watch but by the film’s end the spectator feels as though she has made amends in the only way she knows how.
The film is, in a sense, presented in four parts: The leadup to Robbie’s arrest, his and Cecilia’s reunion during the war, Briony’s attempts to make amends for her actions, and the interview with Briony about the resulting book she has written about Robbie and Cecilia. While the film overall is powerful – it works as a statement on the way in which war tears people’s lives apart with little regard to what has gone on before – the rest of the film never quite lives up to the stunning first part.
I cannot say enough about the absolutely beautiful execution of the leadup to Robbie’s arrest. The photography is stunning (as it is throughout the entire film), and the rhythm and pace of the editing is flawless. The suspense is brilliant. It’s quite edge-of-your-seat for a while there. The performances are fantastic (they are in the entire film, really) and the location is gorgeous. There’s not really much about the rest of the film to criticise, it’s simply that the first part is perfect. Perhaps the rhythm isn’t quite so accurately handled as it is in the first part, I don’t really know. All I can say is that the first part is perfect, and the rest of the film only slightly less so.
I just started reading the book and I have to say, it's wonderful. Not only that, but so far the film is a flawless adaptation of the novel. There's a beautiful passage in the book that discusses writing in itself and I was in awe. I'll update as I get further into the novel.
The film does that green dress quite proud.
If you like this film you should:
* Watch everything James McAvoy has made. He's gorgeous.
* Order a knock-off of Keira Knightley's green dress
* Reminisce about the horrible things you did as a kid because you thought you were right.
* Read Atonement, by Ian McEwan
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