I’ll say right off the bat that I’m not a die-hard Ian McEwan fan. Before Atonement I’d only read one of his other novels, Saturday, and confess I found it a bit of a slog to get through. After recently seeing the film trailer, however, I thought I’d give the British scribe another go. And this time he didn’t disappoint – Atonement is a brilliant story, full of richly drawn characters and descriptions, and turns of phrase that’d make any writer green with envy.
A daunting task then to take that beloved and bestselling work of fiction and translate it onto the big screen, while retaining the story’s intimacy and depth. Talented young British director Joe Wright, who was behind the lens for 2005’s critical hit Pride and Prejudice, turns out to be the right man for the job, admirably and faithfully turning page to picture in one scene after the next.
Wright’s film opens on a hot summer day in the 1930s with the sound of keys clacking on an old typewriter, as a girl of 13 strides through an immense mansion in the British countryside to announce to her mother that she’s finished her latest play. The youngster is Briony Tallis (Saoirse Ronan), an aspiring writer with an imagination as boundless as her vocabulary. Briony is really the central figure in Atonement, in that her actions precipitate the tragedy that follows; she’s the one with the atoning to do.
We’re then introduced to Briony’s older sister Cecilia (Keira Knightley) and the wealthy family’s educated gardener Robbie Turner (James McAvoy). They’re in love – only Cecilia hasn’t realized her own feelings yet, and Robbie is keeping mum about his. That is, until a lewd letter he’s written her mistakenly ends up in her hands, leading to a passionate scene in the estate’s library in which they do finally admit their affections.
Keira Knightley and James McAvoy in a scene from Atonement
One of the first interactions between Cecilia and Robbie is seen through Briony’s eyes; an argument at a fountain that later replays itself from their perspective. This replaying of scenes - once from the young writer’s limited view, once to show what really happens - takes a cue from McEwan’s novel, and effectively demonstrates how actions can easily be misconstrued and re-imagined by the observer.
Unfortunately, one of Briony’s re-imaginings has disastrous consequences, and results in a false accusation against Robbie. He’s then shipped off to prison, and subsequently to fight in World War II in lieu of serving the remainder of his sentence. The story spans several decades, as Cecilia and Robbie swear to find each other again and live the remainder of their lives together.
Knightley delivered a strong performance in Wright’s Pride and Prejudice, and her Cecilia Tallis isn’t that uncommon from the character she played in that film, Elizabeth Bennet. Both headstrong, both romantics at heart, the young Brit star seems to relish embodying this kind of character and she does so well. McAvoy is also very good as Robbie Turner, whose life is upended by a little girl’s envy-driven error in judgement. In one beautifully shot wartime scene Robbie comes over a bank to witness the chaos at Dunkirk, where British troops were stranded after retreating from German forces.
Briony is played by three actors, portraying her at different stages of life: Ronan plays her at 13, Romola Garai at age 18, and Vanessa Redgrave in her older years. All three actresses capture the spirit of the character, and Redgrave’s appearance at the end of the film is brief but immensely affecting.
As for the director, he manages to let the best bits of McEwan’s book shine through, in particular the few-and-far-between tender moments between Cecilia and Robbie. It’s an incredible love story, and the film doesn’t cheapen it in any way.
What both the book and the film successfully manage to get across is the power of words, and how a single word, or many more fashioned into a story or a lie, can have an extraordinary, sometimes devastating, impact.
Posted by Cate Jones
Agree? Disagree? Email Cate at criticizecate@gmail.com
Atonement (**** out of 5)
Rated: R in US/14A in Canada
Starring: Keira Knightley, James McAvoy
Directed by: Joe Wright
Written by: Christopher Hampton, based on Ian McEwan's novel
Related links: Official site, IMDB page, Apple trailer
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