My Review of Atonement

Starring James McAvoy and Keira Knightley, Atonement is a beautiful-looking drama based on the novel by Ian McEwan. The film itself does not deliver all of the goods you might want from a movie of this kind.

What is Atonement about?

Briony Tallis is a spirited 13-year-old girl. She likes to write and put on plays. She usually does exactly what her mother tells her. She's got a crush on the groundskeeper, Robbie Turner (McAvoy). Right around the time Robbie turns her affections away is when Briony catches him with her older sister, Cecilia Tallis (Knightley). These two lovers have been secretly in love with each other for years. It only takes an awkward moment by a water fountain to bring these feelings to the surface.

Cecilia and Robbie broke an old vase. A piece fell to the bottom of this deep fountain. Cecilia jumps into the water after it. When she comes back up, Cecilia's nightgown is soaked, almost see-through and ultimately erotic. When Briony sees this transpire, it appears as if Robbie is harassing her sister, perhaps even trying to be a pervert. That's where this drama starts; with the misunderstanding of a child. Even if Robbie and Cecilia show their love for each other in the most innocent way, Briony might consider it to be wrong, dead wrong.

Time passes, Briony has ruined this blossoming love affair, Robbie has gone off to WWII, Cecilia has gone on to become a nurse. Both lovers are aching to be with each other. Briony is also a nurse, fighting over feelings of guilt, struggling to make it up to her older sister and once best friend, Robbie. What happens in the end cannot be revealed, but the sight of Cecilia and Robbie together is always a good one.

My thoughts

Atonement is aspiring to be a lot more than it actually is on screen. There's some very heavy themes, very strong statements and great emotions waiting to break out, but they never quite make it to the surface. Is this a fault or the intension of the filmmakers? I don't know. All I know is that for better or worse, the ending will leave you kind of disappointed, maybe even angry. It takes a self-referential turn that actually is on purpose but ends up feeling, totally unnecessary.

What have others said?

One critic has said that Atonement is the most passionate love story since Titanic. I kind of agree, but then again, that's hard. Atonement is not really all about the love story between Robbie and Cecilia, it's more about betrayal and the effects on both sides. I don't agree with critics who have called Atonement a 'masterpiece' either. Whatever the definition of a masterpiece is, I don't think Atonement fits the bill. It's not realized as well as it could've been. It's lacking too many important elements and loses credibility for the ending.

Special note: Atonement is nominated for several Golden Globe awards, including Best Picture (Drama).

Final note

Atonement is worth seeing. You've got some fine performances, great cinematography and well-written screenplay. The only flaws lie within the structure of the story itself. That's not good enough for me to stay away from the theater.