Atonement

[ftlouiea]

Though I can't tell you that it is the Best British Film ever, I can tell you that 'Atonement' may be one of the films that have left me with an impression. A good one no less.

The film, in a short overview, is set in 1935 and given from the point of view of thirteen years old, Briony Tallis (Saorise Ronan), who sees the romance between her elder sister, Cecilia (played by Keira Knightley) and the housekeeper's son Robbie (played by James McAvoy) as a one-sided wild seduction from Robbie. In her eyes, she only sees sin between them, which leads to her wrongly accusing Robbie of a dreadful crime and separating the two lovers. Time passes and we see Briony trying to fix the wrong that she has done.

Atonement, is certainly an artistic film. You first realize that when you are turning back time and watching the same scene from another character's point of view, and then you think "Oh! So that's what they're doing!". It certainly works for some scenes, but by the fifth or sixth time, you snort and think "Not again?!". In that light, the film may drag on for a bit in the middle and your sat there feeling a little numb on the rear, but that only lasts for a short while.
Some of the gems of the film I have to mention are the music. It's rather clever how they make music from the typewriter in the opening scene... you'll see what I mean once you watch it. Not forgetting, the chorus that the British soldiers sing on the beaches of Dunkirk is a solemn addition to the atmosphere, making the audience feel quite heavy at heart by remembering the horrors of WWII.

I've already said that Atonement has an 'arty' feel to it. Right from the beautiful scenes of a hot English summer in the country, to the poppy fields in what would be French fields during the war.

And a mention for the acting? Although I don't think Keira Knightley had a significant role in the film to have left a great impression, you certainly do feel something for the wrongly accused Robbie, played by James McAvoy. McAvoy perfectly captures Robbie being the educated gentleman, but son of the housekeeper, who seems to have started life so well, yet finds himself trapped as a soldier fighting in France. All this because of Briony, the evil little sister.

Saorise Ronan, who plays evil little Briony, is quite something else. You have to see her in the film to see the brilliance of her acting at such a young age. Even the eighteen year old Briony (Romola Garai) gives this aura of disconnection from the world, though hinting that she may have a heart, wanting to make up for her wrongdoings.

For a film that's tipped to be one of the front runners at the Oscars, 'Atonement' certainly lives up to it. It is certainly one of the finest British films I've seen, but the best ever? Well you'll have to be the judge of that.

[zashuna]

I thought that film was just brilliant. Brilliant directing, brilliant acting (especially from Ronan and that old lady at the end of the film. Even though she plays a small role, the film wouldn't be as great without her.), brilliant score, and brilliant cinematography. I really like Joe Wright as a director now; he seems to capture every scene perfectly. Especially the long single shot at Dunkirk, with the music blending in so masterfully. Speaking of the music, I particularly like Dario Marianelli as a composer and I would not be surprised at all if he won the oscar for best original score. His incorporation of the typewriter is very creative and his music in general blends with the movie very well. What I didn't like as much was the plot twist in the end. Not a huge fan of those. And yeah, that kind of was a spoiler, so sorry about that, but I felt that I had to address it.

[jaychou_21]

I finally had the chance to see this much talked-about film last week - I watched it twice more since - and what a fulfilling viewing experience it was! It lived up to my expectations and didn't fail to deliver in all the scrutinous aspects of filmmaking.

To begin with, Atonement is a crafty and aesthetic interpretation of Ian McEwan's best-selling novel of the same title, from which the film was adapted. I haven't read the book but after watching the movie, I really want to grab a copy of the novel.

Christopher Hampton did a great job on the screenplay, though I wasn't very impressed with Joe Wright's work as the director. The (over) usage of juxtaposition between Briony's perspective and the 'real' event worked most of the time, but the recurring flashbacks would be too much for the ordinary moviegoer. Nevertheless, the time discrepancies infuse elements of enigma, excitement and unpredictability, which eventually leads to a tear-jerking twist in the end.

I'm not certain if it is Wright's style or technique but he deviates to mislead the viewers at some points during movie. And also, there were a few unnecessary scenes that could have been deleted without affecting the story. For instance, the scene where Nurse Tallis attends to a French-speaking patient in the hospital and they talk about their past. It only adds to the confusion because it didn't provide significant insights on both characters. It wasn't clearly defined how their relationship developed, how close they were, and what happened afterwards. The scene left us clueless and off the hook.

The film's art direction, set design, costume design and cinematography have all successfully captured the essence of the plot and the emotion of the characters, as well as the atmosphere of the film's setting. It takes us from the laid-back splendor of the Tallis estate on the summer of 1935 to the dreadful scenes of World War II. I particularly liked the long shot on the Dunkirk beach, where the singing soldiers' somber songs of valor and hope combined with Robbie's longing-turned-desparation to see Cecilia again touched a part of my heart. But my favorite part of the movie has to be the sequence starting from Cecilia composing herself in front of the mirror, with opera playing in the background, interspersed with the shots of Robbie typing his 'anatomical' letter of apology to Cee, leading up to the scene in the library. It was pure grandeur.

One of the most memorable things about the movie is the superb musical score by Dario Marianelli. It's the first time in recent memory that I've seen a movie where a typewriter is used as a device to present most of the film's musical score. The incorporation of the typewriter rouses the viewer's emotions and builds up tension, thus adding to the thrill. It was used masterfully in the scenes where Briony read Robbie's letter and during Paul Marshall's wedding - the asceding pace of the typewriter's sounds matching that of the simultaneously increasing volume as the scene drastically progresses makes up for a magnificent (and not to say dramatic) finish.

In the acting arena, Saoirse Ronan (pronounced ˈsɪrʃə ˈroʊnən though honestly, at first I thought her name sounds like seahorse lol) is a sensational discovery. She is the perfect choice for the role of the young Briony Tallis. Ronan understood the guileless profundity of her character so I guess it's safe to say that her acting prowess is 'advanced' for a 13-year old newcomer. Her expressive eyes speak and convey a wide range of emotions that provoke our thoughts and challenge our capability to judge. She portrayed Briony very well and judging from her striking performance in the movie, Ronan is a very promising new talent and she'll definitely make it far. I'm pretty sure she'll give Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) and Dakota Fanning (I Am Sam / War of the Worlds) a run for their money. Though facing tough competition from weathered actresses like Cate Blanchett and Ruby Dee, I wouldn't be surprised at all if she bags the Best Supporting Actress Oscar come February 24th.

Not to be outdone is the very talented but underrated James McAvoy as Robbie Turner. I've seen The Last King of Scotland last year and was totally impressed by his performance for which he was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the BAFTAs (the British counterpart of the Oscars). This time, his strong and arresting performance in Atonement as the ill-fated housekeeper's son who fell in love with his master's daughter was recognized by the American audience and critics alike and earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor. You can see depth and derive profound understanding of his character just by looking in his eyes and observing his gestures. I felt that his work in this movie was overlooked by the Academy members. Maybe in the next couple of years he'll finally wow them and get his long-overdue Oscar nomination.

While Ronan and McAvoy breathed and lived their characters, Keira Knightley gave a satisfactory portrayal as Cecilia Tallis, Briony's elder sister and Robbie's dearly beloved. Her acting was 'OK' throughout the movie but I feel like she didn't exert the same amount of passion, fire and spirit as her co-actors did. You'll feel like there's something missing in her - it could be the lack of anguish and agitation required for her character to fit in with the rest because I didn't see enough turmoil in both her facial expressions and body language that would convince me that she is in a war-torn time and place. She gave too much finesse that it seemed like she's not affected by the ongoing chaos at all, which makes me think that her Golder Globe and BAFTA nominations for Best Actress were not well-deserved. Same goes with Romola Garai as the 18 year-old Briony Tallis. She was good, but I know she could have done better.

The actors (especially Keira Knightley) often spoke too fast for me to understand or make out the words they're saying. Knightley delivered her lines in such a hasty manner that it didn't seem natural at all, even for a Briton. I don't have a problem with (British actors) speaking too fast if the script requires them to do so, but her line delivery just seemed very anticipated and rehearsed. It's the reason why I didn't feel the intensity of her acting in this movie. When I was still in theater, I remember a very useful comment from a fellow thespian: "Once you act, don't be anticipated. Act within your heart." And the oldest actor we see in the movie did just that.

The one that gave body to the whole film was the 77 year-old Briony, played by the legendary Vanessa Redgrave. The multi-award winning actress did her meaningful part excellently, substantiating guilt, remorse and enlightenment. She may have appeared onscreen for only a mere 5 minutes or so but her performance was pitch-perfect. Her role is integral to the entire story because she gave closure to the two main characters and her revelation in the end - "with no rhymes, no embellishments" - brought tears to the eyes and tugged my heartstrings when I least expect it.

The ending was executed perfectly. It wasn't over the top nor exaggerated - just the right tone and mood to give the audience an emotional upheaval and a heartrending realization of the meaning of the word atonement.

In a nutshell, Atonement is more than just an artsy film about two lovers separated by war and betrayed by the consequences of a child's naïve understanding of the world around her - it's a lesson about integrity, strength, endurance, hope and compassion, and how the absence of those can deprive us of happiness or change the course of our destiny. Atonement succeeds in showing a moving portrait of the two faces of the human soul - the good and the bad - and how our smallest mistakes and unspoken truths can ruin people's lives.

This film just blew me away, that's why it currently ranks 15th on the list of my 50 most favorite movies of all time (14th had I not seen Hayao Miyazaki's Howl's Moving Castle the day after), securing its position as the best British film I've seen so far. Let's see if it wins Best Picture at the Oscars.


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* Click the James McAvoy banner below to go to the movie's official website, where you can view different versions of the Atonement trailer. The Keira Knightley banner leads back to this page.




http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v307/jaychou_21/robbie_turner.png (http://www.atonementthemovie.co.uk/site/site.html)
You can only imagine the truth.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v307/jaychou_21/cecilia_tallis.png
(http://jay-chou.net/forums/showthread.php?p=17181429#post17181429)