Atonement review

 Number 483 on the top 1000 films of all time is the romantic tragedy 'Atonement.'

Based on the 2001 Ian Mcewan novel of the same name and set in 1930's England, Atonement tells the story of Cecilia Tallis (Keira Knightley) the oldest sister of the Tallis family and her relationship with the housekeeper's son Robbie Turner (James Mcavoy.) However, when Cecila's younger sister Briony (Saoirse Ronan) confesses that she saw Robbie commit an awful crime, he is sent to prison, ripping apart the family.

In my Finding Neverland review, I said that Kate Winslet is one of those actresses who gets type-cast as upper-class aristocratic English ladies. I would lump Keira Knightley into the same camp. Whether that's Pride and Prejudice, Pirates of the Caribbean or the Imitation Game, she more or less plays the same character. In Atonement, it was more of the same, but Cecilia had a killer emotional depth. As this was a hard-hitting film. 

*Spoilers to follow*

As much of the film harbours on a lie. The young and naive thirteen-year-old Briony, who has her own feelings for Robbie, misconstrues his affections for Cecilia as rape and abuse. Yet things don't stop here. She then believes she witnesses him raping her cousin Lola (Juno Temple.) And this is all the evidence needed to send Robbie to prison for years. Upon realising her mistake, an elderly Briony (Vanessa Redgrave) tries atoning for her mistakes, but it is too little too late. In many ways, she is an unreliable narrator which gave this film a rather devastating dramatic irony.

Briony Tallis was only Saiorse Ronan's third film role, but it was also her breakout role. For Briony Tallis, she received her first of four Oscar nominations. It was well-earned too, as she showed her early promise as an actor. Similarly, this film helped to establish James Mcavoy as a leading man. Although he wasn't Oscar-nominated, he did receive a Bafta nod for Best Supporting Actor.

After Robbie is released from prison, he is drafted into the Second World War where, suffering from an infected wound, he desperately navigates to the beaches of Dunkirk so he can return home to his beloved Cecilia. Some critics argued this made the film unbalanced with a scatter-shot plot. I wouldn't agree though. Having Robbie and Cecilia separated by not only a lie but also war really underlined the tragic plot and the seriousness of Briony's lie, as well as her desperate need to atone for her sins.

This definitely won't be an easy watch. There are emotionally upsetting scenes galore, but it is also quite a powerful film with some great performances.