Atonement

Often a promising film is undone by it's ending, but in the case of Atonement a mediocre film is almost redeemed by it's ending. I had doubts about this project from the first time I saw the trailer. It seemed like a too obvious attempt to recreate a successful formula -- hip director Joe Wright teaming up again with Keira Knightley in another British costume drama full of handsome actors and equally handsome locations. On the other hand I liked Wright's version of Pride and Prejudice and Roger Ebert (who I usually agree with) just included Atonement in his top ten movies of 2007. My initial instincts were correct. This film has some nice moments, but overall I was underwhelmed.

While watching Atonement I was reminded of other films that take place in this period or explore similar themes...all more successfully. The imposing shadows of Merchant & Ivory loom and I couldn't stop thinking about another favorite film of mine: The English Patient. Wright seemed to be striving to achieve the same tragic pathos and self-consciously literary style. Even certain shots made me wonder if they were a conscious homage to Anthony Minghella's masterpiece, and then lo and behold Minghella himself shows up in a cameo role at the end. Hmmm.

Like the film as a whole, the cast isn't awful, but it isn't terribly memorable either. There's no doubt that Keira Knightley has an elegant beauty that the camera loves. She looks every bit the part of the aristocratic daughter, but her performance never registers emotionally. Neither does that of leading man James McAvoy. They never made me care about their characters. Only Vanessa Redgrave hits a home run in the 5 minute coda I mentioned before. I won't be surprised if she nets a supporting actress Oscar for her brief appearance. What an actress! Like I said, she almost rescues this film from falling victim to it's weak characterizations and forced symbolism.

The conceit of the movie (and I assume of the novel it's based on) is that it's not Knightley's "Cecilia" or McAvoy's "Robbie" that's the catalyst to the story. It's younger sister Briony. And it's she who seeks atonement. I don't know how much meaning the word "atonement" still has in a post-Christian society like ours, probably not much, but it's a precious word for the Christian. We know that our atonement is only found at the cross of Christ and can't be attained by our effort. Without giving too much away, this truth seems to be poignantly borne out in this story.