'Down from the Hill film' that is finally worth watching

Rating: 6/10 (9 October 2007)

In my home town we have a phase for films like Atonement, and that is "Down from the Hill". This refers to those predominately middle class folk who come down from the top-end of town to make their 1 or 2 annual visits to our local cinema, and always to watch films like this. Past films that have fallen into this category have included such worthy, but rather dull films, as 'The English Patient', 'Gosford Park', 'Pride and Predudice' etc - ie those films that tend to fall into the 'English Heritage' mode of film making. This year's movie to satisfy their need is Atonement, but for once this is a film that, to my mind, is actually very good.
The film is very cleverly structured, and this adds to the understanding of why certain decisions by certain people are taken, leading to a train of events which pull you, the viewer, along to a quite superb ending - which I have no intention of giving away here! Needless to say the acting is uniformly excellent, especially from the younger members of the cast. The psychological side of the film is also wonderfully handled, and I felt genuinely moved by what I saw on the screen.
I feel sure that this film will do well at the Oscars - not that I pay any attention to any awards! - and for once it is a film that deserves all the praise it is getting.