"Atonement" is a movie that has a very odd, engaging energy about it. It's a film I was looking forward to quite a bit due the mass critical appeal it has achieved, but I left feeling both interested and a bit un enthralled at the same time. How in the world does that happen?
Well, I suppose that's because "Atonement" is a rather unconventional movie. The first thing I noticed was that the cinematography was brilliantly captured, taking rather routine scene setups and turning them into a cinematic highlights. The score was also worked in quite nicely, even if the repetitious nature of the main theme did become a bit tedious by the end (as was the case on the soundtrack). And then there's the unusual motions that the actors were instructed to take in their movement, almost walking stick-like yet very fast paced in their strides. It's an interesting visual style that carries through most of the film. Clearly, there is an impressive, artistic vision at work here.
The story itself is about regret, love and forgiveness (or a lack thereof). The film starts off with the young Briony Tallis, who is living a pampered life of privilege as a 13 year old who enjoys writing plays and stories. Her overactive imagination and youthful emotion propel her to make a false accusation toward the son of the family's housekeeper (James McAvoy), a young man who she has a crush on, who he himself is in love with Briony's older sister, Cecilia (Keira Knightly). The accusation is grave and causes the disruption of all three lives forever. It's this setup that takes up nearly the first full hour of the film. While there are a few tense moments that arise during this first act, it plays a bit long in trying to establish the situations. What kept me closer to the interested side was the crafty manner in which the script intermingled various timelines between the characters. I thought this technique was intelligently done and was executed without a hitch or hindrance.
The second act of the film jumps us forward a few years and picks up with Robbie's journey to the front during World War II. These featured scenes add a dash of much needed scope to the film. Indeed, there are near epic qualities in some of the moments that are shown, specifically during the Dunkirk sequence and of the ravaged cityscapes. The focus, however, remains on the relationships of Robby, Cecilia, and later, a grown up Briony. We see how all three have moved forward in life as the film picks up the pace considerably from the first hour.
Where "Atonement" earns its merit, ultimately, is in the final scenes of the film; the resolution points. These moments conjure up quite a bit of emotion as all the actors bring a bit more passion and life to their performances in these pivotal scenes. By the time the film concluded, I was emotionally invested with the characters and had a better appreciation of the story line.
I guess the question that needs to be asked is whether or not the journey leading up to these significant "money" scenes makes it worth the ride. On a home viewing, that answer would be yes -- this didn't add up to a "must-see" at the movie theater, in my opinion. In some ways, "Atonement" was like an epic wannabe that never fully makes the leap to that next level.
In my final grade, I would have to say that this is a film that is overrated by the critics. It's a quality movie but it's simply not worthy of Academy Award praise. If it does somehow win the statue, there will be direct comparisons to a film like "The English Patient," another middle of the road, Oscar winning saga. As far as movie picks go, chalk "Atonement" up as a moderate recommendation.
