Atonement uses a creative narrative to detail a young romance during WWII.

Rating: 8/10 (24 February 2018)

Sprawling across six decades, it chronicles a crime and the unfortunate consequences that follow. I have yet to see all of Joe Wright's filmography at the time of this review, but this is easily his most competent. Having not read the source material, I've heard that the book's structure makes it rather difficult to adapt. Seemingly Wright made it look easy. Embedding character perspectives, integrating flashbacks and utilising a clear three act structure. The journey we are taken on seems small in scale but draws in on the vast historical events of WWII to make an epic romance. It portrays how a child's vivid imagination and innocence of youth can cause damage to others in years to come. A false accusation that splits young love apart. There's something so ominous and vindictive about such a feeble mistake, that it packs one heck of a punch to the heart. The characters portrayed are all played out incredibly well and become fully developed by the heartbreaking end, which I'm sure will depress you all. It's a resonating tale, but one not without shock value. Some career best performances from Knightley, McAvoy and Ronan. They all captured the elegance and lavish lifestyle of the first act to then succumb to the emotional devastation of acts two and three. Wright's bold direction is what truly captivates, particularly the infamous one take scene of Dunkirk's evacuation. The props, the extras, the camera placement...it all came together to create an aria of desolation. It was sublime. The sound editing was notably fantastic also, especially the cacophony of typewriting sounds. Marianelli's score was beautifully haunting and deserved all the recognition it got. I do find the acts to be incredibly different and jarring, which consequently means I have to take a few minutes to adapt to the adjusted tempo of the narrative. Also, the gorgeous cinematography slowly fades as the running time gradually concludes. However, this is a solid piece of cinema that showcases excellent talent on and off screen.