MOVIE REWATCH - Joe Wright’s Atonement: An Instant Classic

Before taking on Leo Tolstoy’s classic Anna Karenina, Joe Wright last collaborated with costume drama veteran Keira Knightley on Atonement, a screen adaptation of the book of the same name by Ian McEwan. First released in 2007 and nominated for Best Picture, Atonement was one of the best films of the year and had instant classic written all over it. Now six years later, having rewatched it over a dozen times, it is one of my favourite films.

The film opens on the hottest day of the summer of 1935, where we are first introduced to 13-year-old Briony Tallis who is perched over a typewriter, fervently taping away at the keys to a story. She is God of this narrative, and the subsequent events are told from her perspective. She witnesses a distant scene from her bedroom window that she dosen’t understand between her sister Cecelia (Keira Knightley) and Robbie (James McAvoy), the son of the family housekeeper. It is her overactive imagination that leads to Robbie being wrongfully accused of a crime he did not commit. By the end of the day, the lives of all three characters are changed forever and Briony will spend the rest of her life trying to atone for her mistake.

At the helm of the film is Joe Wright who masterfully directs the narrative, elliptically cutting from one period into the next, interlacing and interconnecting the realities between characters.  He remains loyal to the books main theme of the power of writing and manipulation of fiction. Seamus Mcgarvey’s photography is superb with every shot having been purposefully choreographed with precision. Screencaps could be captured and framed like paintings. 

Knightley and McAvoy succeed as tragic romantics, but the real stars of the film are the three Briony’s played by Saoirse Ronan, Romola Garai and Vanessa Redgrave. All three actresses in each time period perfectly convey the complexity and coldness of the troubled character.

Although considered a sweeping romance with the backdrop of war, Atonement is primarily a character study of a writer. It is a story about storytelling. Devastatingly brutal yet beautifully lyrical, it is Joe Wright’s best work. A remarkable success.

If you haven’t heard or seen Atonement, it is absolutely worth the watch. But be warned, it is not for the faint of heart and could leave a bitter taste in your mouth.