Atonement

Atonement

Universal

7 September 2007

Historical Drama, Romance

DVD
C+

This is based on the Ian McEwan novel, which I've never read, so I don't know how many of the flaws are in the original story and how many come from the adaptation by Christopher Hampton, or from director Wright's interpretation.  I will say that I think the acting, cinematography, music, costumes, hair, and sets are top-notch.  It's when it comes to the plot and characterization that things start to fall apart.  Wright on his commentary even admits he's not sure if certain scenes come across the way they're meant to.

Briony is the main character and as always Ronan is excellent, here as the 13-year-old version.  However, it's never clear how much of the story we're watching onscreen is "real" and how much is Briony's reimagining.  She's a writer her whole life and a particular story, one she tells rather than writes, ruins the lives of many people, most importantly to her and supposedly the viewer, the lives of her sister Cecelia and Robbie, the young man that Briony once had (still has?) a crush on and that Cecelia loves, despite class differences.  

When Briony's slightly older (14? 15?) cousin Lola (Juno Temple) is raped by a houseguest, Briony accuses Robbie, and Lola doesn't dispute it.  Years later, Lola marries her actual rapist.  Very little time is spent on this thread, to the point that I said aloud, "What about Lola?"  Instead, we're treated to an extended section on Dunkirk, which of course is beautifully shot etc., but doesn't really tie into anything, except on I guess the theme of the waste of life and lives.  Who is Lola really?  Was she initially attracted to her rapist and then felt guilty for his crime?  Why does she eventually marry him?  It's not like this is a theocracy, where the rapist would "make amends" through marriage; in fact, no one but he, Lola, and Briony know that he's guilty.  I'm sorry, but I would've liked more resolution for this, and it actually made it harder to care about Cecelia and Robbie.

Furthermore, the "atonement" of the title is Briony as a dying, elderly woman writing the "truth" about what happened, except for a happy ending she gives Robbie and Cecelia, who both died in 1940 and were never reunited.  But a novel published more than 60 years later doesn't help them, and it seems there only so Briony can forgive herself for doing something unforgivable.

Anyway, a "good" but deeply flawed movie that I've given a lot of thought to this week (since I also watched the extras) and ultimately I will marginally recommend it.