Joe Wright's Atonement is an utterly captivating film. When the 130-minute movie ended, I didn't even realize all that time had passed. I assumed we were halfway through. The plot concerns a 13-year-old Briony Tallis in pre-war Britain who sees her sister Cecilia with their gardener Robbie at a fountain and misunderstands their encounter as a rough, unwanted sexual advance. From that incident, she misjudges his character--perhaps intentionally out of jealousy--and tells a lie that sends him to jail. Perhaps she thought it was the truth. The film leaves the characters and their motivations open to interpretation, which helps the story remain with the viewer. Robbie is given the choice to go to war or stay in prison, and so he enlists. The second half of the movie details his attempt to return from battle and rejoin Cecilia. As Briony grows older and more mature, she realizes the grievous results of her decision and tries to atone for it.
The camerawork and compositions were beautiful. There is an oft-talked about 5 minute tracking shot depicting the devastation of Dunkirk--one I felt was an unnecessary waste of time, but impressive nonetheless. The editing was exceptional. The movie backtracks several times and reveals the truth behind Briony's misinterpretations. It was slightly confusing at first, but quickly grew on me as an effective and engaging storytelling technique. I absolutely loved the music. It perfectly fit the mood every time, whether at a tense moment, a sensual one, or an emotional one. The acting was truly stunning. Realistic, subtle performances revealed layers of complexity in every character. Vanessa Redgrave delivered an unforgettable, riveting performance for the few minutes she was on screen.
Despite all these technical achievements, I wondered what the point of the film was. It's a simple story with the only universal themes being regret and atonement. The story is unbelievably far-fetched; it's all too coincidental and extreme to be real. But perhaps that is the purpose of romance movies. To be the world of fantasy where there exists true love, hope, and happiness. Unfortunately for me, I watch movies as movies. And during the entire movie, I kept thinking: "A Very Long Engagement is much better." And so it is, in just about every way. But Atonement is still a technically outstanding, entrancingly romantic film for anyone interested in it.IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0783233/