Atonement

Review by Zachary K. Parker

In his sophomore effort, “Atonement,” writer/director Joe Wright punches out the plausible consequences of writing by combining two different stories with a marvelous typewriter soundtrack for accompaniment. As a period World War II piece, the detailed sets and ornate costumes make for a visually remarkable story.

            In one perspective of the story, Briony Tallis (Saoirse Ronan, superbly restrained, yet expressive), the young daughter of a wealthy family, eagerly takes any chance to gain attention by telling stories, like writing a minor stage play on her typewriter.

            The other perspective of the story focuses more on the love between Briony’s older sister, Cecilia Tallis (Keira Knightley), and the Tallis’s gardener, Robbie (James McAvoy, not the heartthrob type, but he acts out of nothing less than his blood-pumping core).

            Like most writers, Briony witnesses a somewhat secret exchange between Cecilia and Robbie at a fountain, giving her a starting place for telling another story. However, Briony assigns a worse meaning to the exchange and explains the situation to her friend, Lola, who, in a rather disturbing side story that I will not reveal much more, is wrongly inducted into adult experiences beyond her age.

            Meanwhile, Robbie sits at his own typewriter, banging out several versions of an apology letter meant for Cecilia. Briony delivers his letter to Cecilia, but only after being shocked from reading what the audience knows is one of Robbie’s drafts.

Misunderstandings abound and evolve into lies, which condemn the flourishing love between Cecilia and Robbie, as Briony stands witness to something she did not see. As a consequence, Robbie is sent to war, while Cecilia abandons her traitorous sister and family to help with the war effort. 

            From this point forward, the story’s complexity lessens somewhat and slows gradually as Robbie experiences the terrors of war, Cecilia is largely forgotten as a character, and Briony grows up to realize her previous error, even becoming a nurse in a hospital, mending to war soldiers as a kind of atonement to relieve her guilt over Cecilia and Robbie.

The film could have been an interesting look at guilt as in Lodge Kerrigan’s film, “Keane,” or it could have been a satisfying romantic tale like the director’s previous romance, “Pride & Prejudice.”

 Instead it’s a morality tale mostly afraid to explore its own psychological territory, and merely wraps the ragged edges and emotional holes with a chic romantic plotline, including an ending that feels somewhat satisfying but doesn’t make much sense considering the rest of the film.

While the story affirms the consequences of lying as well as the power of truth to exorcise guilt, but the film is only sufficiently truthful without being a Christ-like representation. Briony’s guilt and Robbie’s love both try to encompass the foundation for any questions or reflections regarding atonement, like two sides of the same coin.

Unfortunately, the film’s dualistically framed story allows us to see it only one side at a time. It may feel heavy, but it’s fairly thin. In the end, Atonement may not be worth seeing for little else other than its pure entertainment value.

You may feel guilty for not seeing it. You may love it if you do. But, for the most part, Wright loses character perspective in attempt to craft an epic masterpiece, making it just as fine to see the film as it is to miss it, so flip a coin.