The perfect Atonement.

Rating: 9/10 (20 January 2012)

A quite faithful adaptation of Ian McEwan's most acclaimed novel Atonement. Christopher Hampton took the liberty to make some changes but they did not, in any way, affect the story and its tragic beauty. The direction and cinematography are out of the world! Joe Wright used his camera to perfectly communicate the unspoken words and the emotional intensity of the events to the audience. I felt totally absorbed in the scenes. Both Wright and Hampton managed to overcome the difficulty of turning words into visuals, especially when it comes to a novel that mainly deals with inner thoughts and personal perspectives.
Although I am not a big fan of either Keira Knightley or James McAvoy, I have to admit that their natural presence on the screen breathed more life into the story. Moreover, Saoirse Ronan's mature performance as the young Briony foreshadows a great talent in the making.
I also fell in love with the music score from the very first ten minutes! Kudos for Dario Marianelli.