I must confess that I didn't want to like Atonement. The last of this year's Best Picture nominess that I got to see, it smacks of old-fashioned Hollywood with the period story, the war, the breathtaking art direction and the whole English thing. It's a Merchant Ivory leftover in many ways. And I had the negative reviews of friends to further dissuade me, to the point of feeling like going to see it was a duty, not a pleasure.
To be proven so completely wrong is the greatest compliment I can pay to Atonement.
I loved it.
As a writer, I thought this film was so incredible in coveying the implications of WORDS...their immediate consequences and their lasting impact. Those words can be written or spoken, but they have the power to change lives.
There were a few decisions that I questioned here, such as the looped editing technique that involved the repetition of scenes, but the ending of the film (which I won't spoil) clears everything up and makes it all relevant and clever.
And as far as the acting goes, for me, I thought James McAvoy (who I enjoyed in The Last King of Scotland) was magnetic here. I also quickly came to understand why Saoirse Ronan was nominated for an Oscar. In some ways, she is a part of this year's great parade of award-grabbing screen villains.
A gorgeous movie that meets the criteria of standard, old-fashioned Hollywood but, underneath, is worthy of higher compliments.
4.0 out of 4
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