The Unclarity of Passion: Atonement

Atonement is a tale of lust, guilt and retribution. Joe Wright’s adaptation of Ian McEwan’s novel colours the screen in dark shades of grey and leaves a lingering feeling of remorse, possibly the most difficult human emotion to deal with, as you watch the final credits roll.

One summer’s day in Britain, aspiring playwright, thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis’ (Saoirse Ronan) advances are spurned by Robbie Turner (James McAvoy), the housekeeper’s son who has been brought up by her family. Soon after this incident, she witnesses her Cambridge-returned elder sister Cecilia (Keira Knightley) strip her clothes off and jump into the garden fountain in pursuit of a family heirloom, watched by the same Robbie, who also happens to have gone to college with her. This serves as the impetus for another couple of incidents the very same day that push Briony’s already decaying innocence out of the window. Emotions thrown out of gear by jealousy and hatred, she unwaveringly declares Robbie guilty when his freedom hinges on her words. As Robbie is thrown into prison, the Second World War intervenes.

The film is not brilliant, but it is artfully made. Wright is clearly a storyteller filmmaker. He starts off relatively slowly, but builds up pace along the way. As the film’s end draws to a close, the final piece of the jigsaw puzzle shifts ever so slightly into place and you cannot help but admire the way Wright has brought McEwan’s story to the screen. It could have been a drab, run-of-the-mill war romance, but Wright has turned it into an emotional thriller of sorts, which makes for much more engaging viewing.

The central character through it all is neither the well-established McAvoy, nor is it Knightley. This film belongs to Briony Tellis’ character, enacted at different stages of her life by Saoirse Ronan, Romola Garai, and Vanessa Redgrave who all look so remarkably like gradually older versions of the same person that it is difficult to believe they are not. Atonement’s Oscar for Best Score is not unwarranted and heightens the drama suitably.

So, is Atonement worth a watch? I’d say yes.