A Rare Cinematic Showcase, Offering A Vast Array Of Engaging Talent

Rating: 7/10 (8 September 2007)

2007 has been a slow year up until now; at least, I have been unimpressed by practically every release of the year so far. Hence, my uncertainty of whether I should let my expectations rise for the opening of Atonement. Instead, I decided to go in without listening to the hype. I came out of the cinema exhausted, yet it was a good kind of exhaustion, the kind of exhaustion found after an emotionally draining experience which actually succeeded in moving the viewer. Atonement has Best Picture material written all over it, and at this current stage I sincerely doubt that I will find any 2007 film to surpass it.
Adapted from the novel of war veteran Ian McEwan, Atonement is directed by young British talent, Joe Wright. Weaving a convoluted, sometimes fascinatingly dreamlike story of unforgiving love in WW2 Britain, Atonement centres on a rich family torn apart by a terrible crime and a love that could never be. Centring itself on three key characters; the young Briony Tallis (played by Saoirse Ronan), her elder sister, Cecilia Tallis (Keira Knightley) and their housekeeper's son, Robbie Turner (James McAvoy), from here on the film depicts the misinterpreted relationship drawn between Cecilia and Robbie. The film conducts a web of disillusionment and regret.
For me, the finest element of Atonement is the editing, which is some of the most subtly detailed of recent years. It is the type of fresh editing which enables the viewer to realise how even more alluringly intelligent the picture is. For example, the moment where it cuts from Keira Knightley diving, to James McAvoy bringing himself up from under the bathwater. There are numerous other moments to name, such as the "cigarettes and opera" sequence or the lavishly romantic sex scene. Everything fits together with a non-superficial ease, providing a sense of far more thoughtful film-making. Having the pressing typewriter beats playing against a person's hurried walk is another notable case of sound editing; it should be noted because it helps the atmosphere have an additional level of unavoidable allure. You just cannot refuse to ignore the adaptable use of stylistically-enhancing editing. Cinematography also plays a huge part in the picture, too. Rather than simply relying on a clean-cut narrative and some noteworthy performance, the film makes an effort to employ all the features which start to create real cinema. The five-minute long tracking-shot found when the troops enter Dunkirk left me in awe, conveying the destruction through its confrontational set-pieces.
Nevertheless, the acting is yet another one of the film's triumphant endeavours. Being that the director's vision and the actor's insights are fused together with an undeniable awareness, meaning the film is at liberty to take a consistently smooth pace. The camera seems to pick up every detail the performers exert, e.g. the recurring use of hand/eye gestures to echo the feelings found within awkward or crucial moments. Evidently, a lot of time was spent rehearsing the magnificent screenplay, since all the actors deliver their lines with a secured knowledge, but without the viewer feeling as though anything was overly rehearsed. Even Keria Knightley left me stupefied, considering I have become exempt to seeing her provide wooden performances which offer nothing what-so-ever for a film. Yet, she is quite sublime in Atonement, exemplifying the features of an upperclass woman. Proving that she can tackle mature roles meant I felt pleased to see a genuinely positive performance from the ever-growing star. James McVoy is by far the film's overall star, though.
Not only is Atonement a romance, it is a war film and drama, too. I admit that I expected the film to be the generic sentimental tweaking on a period-piece/costume-drama premise. To my great surprise I was blown away, stunned by the dynamic personalities which were being portrayed on-screen and left in a daze over the luscious visuals. Essentially, Atonement is a romance, and I would be ignorant to deny it. Nonetheless, I found it to be much more than a "romance", but in fact a lyrical journey of culpability.