‘I love you. I’ll wait for you…’
The butterfly effect is so enduring in popular culture because it’s so damn prescient. Everything we do echoes in the wider world – sometimes for generations. Atonement explores this idea in a way that is incredibly moving and viscerally powerful. Tom Waits once said “I like beautiful melodies telling me terrible things”. That’s what this film is. A gorgeous-looking film, a beautiful melody, whispering terrible things in our ears…
When Briony Tallis (Saoirse Ronan as a child and then Romola Garai as an adolescent and finally Vanessa Redgrave as an older woman) misinterprets a passionate embrace between her older sister, Cecilia (Keira Knightley) and Robbie Turner, the son of her family’s housekeeper (James McAvoy), she ends up erroneously accusing him of a terrible crime. Briony, Cecilia and Robbie will spend the rest of their lives living with the fallout. The talented supporting cast features Benedict Cumberbatch, Daniel Mays and Juno Temple.
On first glance, Atonement seems like a stuffy period drama, but it absolutely isn’t that at all. This is a propulsive and kinetic film that moves nimbly between different time periods to the extent that its breathless pace is sometimes detrimental. Joe Wright’s assured direction is genuinely breathtaking (there is one particularly stunning long take depicting the aftermath of Dunkirk that should be required viewing for all aspiring filmmakers everywhere), and Dario Marianelli’s abrasive score provides the perfect counterweight to Seamus McGarvey’s stunning cinematography. It also served as an introduction to Ronan, who has since gone on to become one of the most accomplished actors of her generation.
Atonement is a surprisingly bleak film, but it is also incredibly powerful in parts. The fact that after two hours, I still wanted more when the credits rolled is a testament to the film’s quality (although it’s also a criticism of the ending – it’s too abrupt). Put simply, Atonement is the kind of film that everybody should see at least once.
