A lifetime of regret

Rating: 9/10 (15 September 2007)

In L P Hartley's "The Go-Between", a young boy in Edwardian England is sexually and emotionally scarred when he catches the two people he most admires 'in flagrante', having already acted as go-between carrying notes from one lover to the other. In "Atonement" a young girl of similar age is similarly scarred in a similar fashion having been 'emotionally betrayed' by two of the people she most admires. In both cases notes are involved, though the actions of Briony in "Atonement" prove more devastating in the end.
Although somewhat different in tone and structure and setting from the L P Hartley novel, (and Joseph Losey's subsequent film), Ian McEwan's "Atonement", (and this terrific film version by Joe Wright), moves very much in the same ball-park. (They would make a fascinating double-bill). Both deal with betrayal, loss and regret and quite directly with issues of class, (in both, the sexual relationship is between an upper-class girl and a working-class boy). So far, so much the same but while "The Go-Between" contented itself with the relationship between the protagonists and its fall-out and left it there, McEwan goes further.
It begins in 1935 in an England already preparing for war and after the initial events that set 'the plot' in motion, moves forward to Dunkirk and its aftermath; (there is also a coda set in the present day, something else it has in common with "The Go-Between"). And the Dunkird sequences are neither mere plot contrivance nor window-dressing but a direct comment on the horrors of war, (Briony's 'crime' placed in a much wider historical and social context), and in this film version the whole Dunkirk sequence works in the most powerful and surreal way imaginable, (a tracking shot through the chaos is particularly stunning). Although seemingly divorced from the events that preceded it these two halves of the film work beautifully together and Briony's realization of what she has done in the past in superbly conveyed in Romola Garai's performance. Indeed, in a film full of great moments and perfectly sustained sequences its greatest coup lies in the casting of the three actresses who play Briony; Saoirse Ronan as the naive, uncomprehending child, Garai as the emotionally shallow young woman and finally, in a magnificent cameo, Vanessa Redgrave as the much, much older Briony, finally achieving 'atonement'.
But the film isn't total perfection. When Briony walks away from her reunion with Robbie and Cecilia I felt strangely unmoved just as the sequences in Dunkirk left me unmoved, (they are magnificently done but where, I asked myself, is the feeling?). In so far as it goes you can't fault Joe Wright's direction or the burning intelligence of Christopher Hampton's screenplay. Intellectually you certainly feel engaged but emotionally you may feel short-changed.
Perhaps the fault lies in the casting of James McAvoy who makes Robbie a very cold fish. (He is very good, however, at capturing the boy's cock-sure arrogance). But then the film redeems itself in its closing moments and the emotional punch packed into that final sequence more than makes up for what I felt was missing earlier. It could have been sentimental but Wright never allows it to trip over into such saccharine territory. And again this may be down to casting. Vanessa Redgrave is so over-whelmingly good in her final monologue she almost throws you off-balance. This is a great performance by a great actress even if it only lasts a few moments. Hopefully when the film is showered with Oscar nominations next February she will not be over-looked.