William Chong

Director: Joe Wright. Producer: Tim Bevan. With James McAvoy, Saoirse Ronan, Ailidh Mackay, Keira Knightley.

Based on a 2001 novel by Ian McEwen, Atonement is very much a film about the power of the written word, allied with the impact of some beautifully presented cinematography.

Set in London in 1935, aspiring 13-year old writer Briony Tallis, through a series of misleading events, makes a decision that separates her sister Cecilia from her lover, named Robbie. The film then transitions into a moving war drama a la Saving Private Ryan, as the story follows Robbie’s conscription into the army. Retreating to the beaches in France and awaiting evacuation, we see some tough and realistic scenes of British soldiers involved in the famous Dunkirk evacuation. Cecilia and Briony end up working as hospital nurses for different reasons: Briony in particular seeks atonement for her childhood mistake that ultimately resulted in tragedy.

The most fascinating part of this movie would have been the wittiness of the film – the opening half-hour is a collection of mis-interpretations, half-truths and a near-sitcom like narrative (albeit set in pre-war England). The acting is impeccable, and Briony especially shines so much that one can almost see her fanciful imagination running riot in the story. The various changes of tone from whodunnit to war drama to psychological thriller seem intriguing, but the pay-off is that much sweeter once you realise their purpose.

The cinematography is masterfully crafted – one scene in particular sweeping across the war-torn beach in France tied around Robbie’s search for water, and showed various aspects of living conditions before the evacuation all in one take. This was shot beautifully and was my favourite scene. Another creative plot line showed Briony playing the fiction game in going along with a wounded Frenchman’s dying testimony – subtle plot details emerge and you realise his banter about having met her in France stems from a brain injury, and their conversation is (once again) a work of fiction.

The question the film poses tests the very nature of fiction – what is its purpose? Can a writer, in his or her mind, really change the past?

Anyways. Very clever, A.