Atonement (2007)

One of my favorite films released in 2007 was Atonement. I've seen the film multiple times, including two times in theaters during its initial release, and it is a rich experience each time. Almost every aspect of this film is first-rate: the acting, the direction, the cinematography, the set and costume design, the writing, the editing. I may appreciate the overall achievement of other films from 2007 a bit more, as did the Academy, but this is one that I return to again and again.

The film tells the story of the consequences of a lie. A 13-year-old girl, Briony Tallis, "sees" two encounters between her older sister, Cecilia, and the family's gardener, Robbie. Being just a bit too young to comprehend fully what she sees while simultaneously being just old enough to envy Robbie's attentions for Cecilia, Briony uses her talent for storytelling to create and support an accusation of rape against Robbie. The cousin who claims to be the victim of the rape, Lola, goes along with Briony's tale, and Robbie is first sent to prison and then, in effect, forced to serve in the British army during World War II. Cecilia breaks from her family over their treatment of Robbie and begins a life for herself as a nurse, a life she hopes to share with Robbie when he returns from war. Her words to him on the night of his arrest echo throughout the film: "I love you. Come back. Come back to me."

I've written elsewhere of my admiration for James McAvoy. He's an exceptional choice here for the romantic male lead of Robbie Turner. And Keira Knightley matches him expertly. Their scenes at the fountain and in the library bristle with a sexual charge. You can sense what Knightley's Cecilia means when she tells Robbie that he knew all along that they were in love, even before she figured it out herself. The film overall depends upon the chemistry that these two actors have. Their relationship is the emotional core of the movie, even more so at times than the lie that Briony tells, and you want them to be reunited and have the happy ending that they deserve.

There are three actresses who play the part of Briony Tallis. The first is Saoirise Ronan, who plays her at film's start at the age of 13. She's exceptional in the part, showing just how mean-spirited and spiteful a child of that age can be. You can sense that she knows she is dooming Robbie to an awful life, but her anger and desire for revenge are so overpowering that she will not or cannot stop herself from telling the lie. The middle of the film has Romola Garai playing Briony at age 18. Briony has begun training as a nurse, perhaps (as the story suggests) as a form of penance. She has finally begun to see how damaging her actions were, and the sense of remorse she feels is obvious. The painful scene she has with a wounded French soldier, who may or may not have met her before, is just one example of Garai's subtle gifts as an actress.

The best, though, is indeed saved for last. Vanessa Redgrave plays the successful author Briony at the end of her life. Her scenes all involve a television interview about her latest (what she calls her last) novel, Atonement, which tells the "truth" about her actions as a child. Much of Redgrave's time on the screen is shot in close-up, just her explaining the sequence of events that have led her to write the book, and boy, is she a marvel to watch. There's lots of dazzling stuff in this movie, including an amazing tracking shot on the beach at Dunkirk that almost everyone mentions, but few things keep you as spellbound as Redgrave's Briony finally admitting to everyone, including herself, the full extent of what she's done. Such a small part, in some ways, but such a commanding actress to leave you with such an impression at the end of the film.

Other members of the supporting cast are perfect in their parts. A young Benedict Cumberbatch, years away from his sexier roles as Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Strange, here plays a rather sadistic chocolatier, a phrase I don’t expect to get to use too often. Harriet Walter does a marvelous spin as the matriarch of the Tallis family, always in need of an afternoon lie-down for a heat-induced headache. I also enjoyed seeing the great Brenda Blethyn in the small role of Robbie’s mother, a servant at the Tallis mansion. The green silk dress that Knightley wears for the sequence in the library deserves special mention too. It certainly provides support for why Robbie would find Cecilia irresistible.

I think what has struck me each time that I've seen this film is how expertly constructed it is. I'll give just one example to demonstrate what I mean. From her bedroom window, Briony sees the encounter between Cecilia and Robbie that ends with Cecilia diving into the fountain, emerging fully drenched in only a slip, and walking away with a vase. Briony, of course, being a "writer" even at the age of 13, begins to put the details together in a way that she can understand. However, immediately after we see Briony's "version" of events, the film shifts to a different angle, both in terms of where the camera is looking and in terms of story perspective, and it shows us another version of the same sequence of events (the "real" version, allegedly). It's a daring move to use such a method throughout a film that is ostensibly a historical romance, yet it works brilliantly here. (Perhaps too well. The couple sitting behind me at the second screening spent much of the closing credits time trying to figure out what had really happened. Pity.)

It is sometimes difficult to put into words exactly why I like some films so much. Such is the case with Atonement. It is, obviously, quite a different film from the others in this category. Some would even say that it is a relatively old-fashioned film, given its subject matter. However, I think what truly elevates it is the way that it does indeed challenge our notions of storytelling. This narrative keeps folding and unfolding upon itself. Even at the end of the film, some of the moments that we have come to accept as "real" earlier on are proven to be just as false as others. It's a challenge to a viewer to make sense of the story on their own terms, and I think that is just what we need in movies these days.

Oscar Win: Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures/Original Score

Other Nominations: Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (Saoirse Ronan), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Achievement in Cinematography, Best Achievement in Art Direction, and Best Achievement in Costume Design