A Scientist at the Movies Reviews by Greg Paris

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Title: Atonement

Date Viewed: 12/26/07

Details:

Keira Knightley

James McAvoy

Saoirse Ronan

Romola Garai

Vanessa Redgrave

Director: Joe Wright

Score: 0

The Review: Some excellent acting, superb (if gritty) cinematography; very English, and very depressing. If you liked Gosford Park, you'll like Atonement; otherwise, it may be a long slog.

Adapted from the novel by Ian McEwan, we eavesdrop on one afternoon and evening in the life of an upper-crust English family, near the onset of WW-II, and watch, horror-struck, at the awful cascading consequences of a spurned crush. The romance between Cecilia (Knightley) and Robbie (McAvoy) is breathtakingly intense and brought to an abrupt end. The middle of the film focuses on the assembly and evacuation from Dunkirk in 1940.

There is an interesting structure to the film, in two ways. One is integral to its plotting and denouement, so I'll not spoil it, but the other is the frequent "instant replay" of an important event but from a different perspective. We first see this in the opening minutes, but it happens a few more times at crucial points. It supports a degree of ambiguity in the unfolding plot. Furthermore, central casting did a remarkable job in finding three actresses for the different ages of Briony, the younger sister, who require no suspension of disbelief as time progresses.

Atonement is getting a lot of Oscar buzz. It certainly deserves a "+" for technical qualities (establishment of mood, cinematography, casting, acting) but it likewise deserves a "-" for its unremitting depression and overlong plodding. Redeemed eventually by Vanessa Redgrave's short but stunning performance in its final moments. (27-Dec-07)

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