Beautiful to watch, and very well done as an adaptation.

Rating: 9/10 (1 September 2009)

I read the book and watched the film recently, and I really liked them both. The book is beautifully written, with flawless narrative detail, though at first it isn't very easy to sink your teeth into. The film on the other hand is beautiful to watch, wonderful cinematography and excellent period detail. The music was quite nostalgic, and I suppose positively hypnotic. The screenplay was wonderful to start with, but the last part's narrative did lose its way a little, and despite the fact that I thought Briony's portrayal was fine on the most part, when she first finds that Lola is being hurt by who she suspects is Robbie, I didn't find her as comforting as she was in the book. The library scene I thought was more believable in the book, it just felt thrown in in the film. I will say, the performances were wonderful, with Kiera Knightly at her loveliest and James McAvoy very handsome and heroic as the two lovers who embark on a complex love relationship. Also worth of note are the performances of two great actresses, Vanessa Redgrave and Harriet Walter, who didn't disappoint here. Atonement is beautifully done, well performed, and fairly faithful as an adaptation. 9/10 Bethany Cox