The tragedy of love

Rating: 8/10 (19 February 2010)

Atonement, Universal Studios and Working Title Film's prestige picture of 2007, with it's sights on the award season. It was the second film of an up-and-coming director, Joe Wright, showing that Keira Knightley is more then a blockbuster star, and showing it's a good example of British filmmaker.
In 1935 in the country estate of a upper-class British family, Cecilia Tallis (Keira Knightley) starts to succumb to feelings for Robbie Turner (James McAvoy), a family friend, whom parents helped through school and university, but from a lower class. In the space of one day they finally give in, but their time is short. Cecilia's younger sister Briony (Saoirse Ronan), sees the events of Cecilia and Robbie, but misunderstands what happens. Because of the events of her imagination and misunderstanding she ends up accusing Robbie of a horrid crime. After five years Robbie is serving in the army in Northern France. He had finally rekindled his relationship with Cecilia, who became a nurse and exiled from her family. They are separate when he ends has to serve in evacuation of Dunkirk. Briony (Romola Garai), now 18, gives up the chance to go to Cambridge, and trains to be a nurse. She tries to fool herself about what she saw but suffers guilt and wants to be amends for her actions.
This is a well structured, directed and acted film. It tells a compelling story about how a misunderstanding can alter the course of some people's lives. It also acts a commentary about class relations, with upper classes looking down on others, no matter how educated a lower class person may be. They is the ideas between truth and imagination, which could alter reality. It also offers a look on the British Army in Dunkirk, and war-time London.
Christopher Hampton writes a well structured screenplay, showing the different elements of the story, and with Joe Wright's direction makes it a well-crafted and does not tell it in a linear style. Wright shows his skill as a director with excellent editing, an effective tone and some brilliant shots. One true moment of genius is showing the British army on the beaches of Dunkirk. Wright would have been worthy of an Oscar nod.
There is a good cast for this film. Saoirse Ronan was nominated for Best Supporting Actress, and she is clearly an actress to watch out for. Keira Knightley shows that she is more then Elizabeth Swann from the Pirates film or Domino Harvey in the awful Domino, she is trying to prove herself as a proper actress. She does a decent job here. But for me, the main star was James McAvoy in the strongest performance I have seen him in. He was one Oscar worthy film and should have been nominated.
There are some moments that don't work. Examples are some characters do acts a little too dumb, and a surreal sequences in the middle of the film did not seem to fit with the rest of.
However, a worthy film for film fans.