DVD review: “Atonement”
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
The lovely and lyrical collide with the bloody and brutal in the heartbreaking “Atonement.” Director Joe Wright and Keira Knightley of 2005′s “Pride and Prejudice” reteam in this adaptation of Ian McEwan’s novel. It is set in 1930s Britain on the cusp of World War II.
Knightley plays Cecilia Tallis, the strong-willed elder daughter of a wealthy family. She and the housekeeper’s son, Robbie (James McAvoy), feel a passionate attraction.
Over the course of a hot summer day, the pair’s smoldering feelings ignite. But Cecilia’s younger sister Briony (Saoirse Ronan), an aspiring writer with a crush on Robbie, witnesses and misunderstands their encounters. The girl’s vivid imagination spins ugly presumptions.
When the sisters’ cousin Lola (Juno Temple) is sexually assaulted, Briony claims she saw Robbie fleeing the scene. Robbie is hauled off, leaving Cecilia devastated.
Briony’s lie shatters their lives. Robbie joins the army from prison and is sent to war-ravaged France. Wright’s long tracking shot of the chaotic evacuation of Dunkirk is astonishing.
Cecilia and Robbie are determined to survive the war and rekindle their love affair, while Briony (now played by Romola Garai) is desperate to atone for her lie.
The chemistry between Knightley and McAvoy sizzles, while Ronan, Garai and Vanessa Redgrave impress with their turns as Briony at different ages.
Extras: Director commentary, deleted scenes, two “making of” featurettes.
(Unfortunately, it doesn’t include an interview with composer Dario Marianelli, who won an Oscar for the awesome score.)
- BAM
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