It has taken me over a week to write this short review of "Atonement." It's not because I didn't like the movie. On the contrary: The film boasts two beautiful, charismatic leads in Keira Knightley and James McAvoy, a terrific Christopher Hamptom script (based on the Ian McEwan novel), Joe Wright's smart direction, lush locations in England, gorgeous costumes, and a plot that encompasses romance, war, sex and lies. What's not to like?
The story begins in 1935 and is narrated by Briony Tallis (Saiorse Ronan), the imaginative youngest child of a wealthy English family. One day, Briony looks out her bedroom window and witnesses a confrontation between her glamorous older sister (Knightley) and the handsome son of the family housekeeper (McAvoy). We see the incident through Briony's eyes and understand what she's thinking. We then see it again as it actually occurred, and discover that the child got it all wrong. Unfortunately, the plot that is set in motion moves in a direction that can end only in heartbreak.
Knightley's classic beauty makes her perfect for this kind of period drama. Dressed in the styles of the 30's and wartime 1940, she looks like an Erte painting come to life. She and McAvoy make an enormously attractive couple, and you root for them to be together.
But it is the supporting players who really impress. Young Saiorse Ronan is a revelation as 13-year-old Briony. This is the kind of performance that impresses Academy voters, and she very well could become one of the rare child nominees for Best Supporting Actress. If so, she very well could be competing for that honor with Vanessa Redgrave, who plays the same character as an old woman. Redgrave is on screen for under seven minutes -- but her scenes bring the story to its tragic -- yet satisfying -- conclusion.
The problem with "Atonement" is that the movie is so relentlessly sad. I had done my research going in, I pretty much knew how it would end. That's not the same as seeing it unfold, becoming involved with the characters, getting seduced by the winning performances, and seeing Vanessa Redgrave's heartbreaking turn as the grown-up Briony. When it was over, I felt like I'd been hit in the gut. I wanted to cry. I wanted to drink. And the ending haunted me for the next couple of days.
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