Atonement
Atonement is one of the best theater-going experiences I’ve ever had. It was the first Friday of January, right after Atonement won the Golden Globe for Best Picture. I went to see it because how could I not trust the reputable Hollywood Foreign Press. I get to the 4:00 show, and it’s all old people. Imagine if the theater was filled with The Golden Girls and their dates. As the trailers played, a restlessness grew as these senior citizens flashed back to their golden days of seeing two pictures and a newsreel. One woman behind me commented, “Oh, it’s The Duchess” like Bette Davis after seeing the titular trailer played.
The movie gets to the part where Cecilia dives into the surprisingly deep fountain to retrieve a piece of the broken vase. And Robbie is standing there when she gets out of the water, and oh no, her dress is see-through. She storms off the pout in another part of the house. Later, Robbie tries to write an apology at his cottage, but he can’t get the words out, so what does he do? He writes how he wants to kiss her cunt.
The theater erupts in laughter. I was blushing at first, but the more I think about it, the funnier it is. The moment where a man shares his hidden primordial desire, and all these old people are laughing. I remember re-watching the movie at the AMC OscarFest (not the actual name). The scene plays again, and I’m expecting another big laugh, but it was deadly silent. It just goes to show that those moments of unexpected joy are fleeting, but they will stay with you.
Atonement is not one of those moments of unexpected joy. It’s a slog to sit through. The film utilizes every single filmmaking trick in the book, and it assaults the senses. Tracking shots, rewinding “Cunt” being typed out, POV Shots, the motif of typewriter clacking, it’s all just too much. Joe Wright is a beloved filmmaker who swings at every ball, missing too much of the time. Darkest Hour was kind of interesting. I enjoyed Hanna, but the film hits you over the head by announcing its theme. (we get it, the spy movie is a fairy tale.) Do I even need to bring up Pan?
For the audience, the movie tries to get you to root for Cecilia and Robbie’s love. The only problem is that Cecilia and Robbie are just so dull. I feel like the people who made this movie saw Brief Encounter and said, “Oh, we never saw the two leads consummate their love. It was the 1940s and it was so rigid then, but now we can see some fucking going on.” But instead of a hot moment of passion like the Titanic car scene, the library sex scene is just so rigid and stale. It looks like Robbie is trying to pop Cecilia’s disc back in place. Keira Knightley channels Celia Johnson from Brief Encounter as she sulks around the grounds. She looks great, but again, it’s just a monotone performance.
I feel bad for being hard on Kiera Knightley. I think she’s a good actress and has shown some growth and range as a performer. I like that she’s taking more comedic roles, but I have a proposition for her. A lot of her performances are in period movies. It would be really cool to see her write a history book where she brings her perspective on the movie’s period. Maybe she could team up with some historian like Lucy Worsley.
James McAvoy plays the hapless and hopeless Robbie. He does the best with what he is given. He’s had an exciting career in playing different characters. Like I loved him in Split, which is a solid movie until the last minute. The real star of the film is the millennial Kate Winslet, Saoirse Ronan. She brings a naturalness to a role that could be over the top. She was so captivating to watch and wonder what Briony was going to do next. Also, it wasn’t until years later that I realized Benedict Cumberbatch was in the movie. He’s Hardman, the chocolate magnate who gets away with assaulting Cousin Lola, played by a young Juno Temple.
Another thing that made Atonement stand out, and the reason I think it got nominated for Best Picture, was the Dunkirk One-Take. While it is breathtaking to watch and amazing to see be pulled off, I think it’s been spoiled by Nolan’s Dunkirk. Atonement’s Dunkirk plays as a beautiful nightmare, while Nolan’s Dunkirk is a purely immersive experience. I think it was my favorite part of the movie, with a great score playing behind the madness. Now though, 14 years later, I kind of feel like it’s a Stefon Club Description come to life. “This place has everything. Horses getting shot, chorus of singing soldiers, painted streakers, sailboats.”
The movie has two endings. The first ending has a grown-up Briony visiting her sister and Robbie. Briony reveals what really happened and wants to confess. Robbie tells her to change her testimony, but since Lola and Hardman got married, Lola can’t testify against him. I feel like a good barrister could find a loophole. Where’s Michael Clayton when you need him?
The actual ending has an old Briony, played by Vanessa Redgrave, being interviewed by Anthony Minghella. She reveals that her latest book, Atonement, was all true, save for the ending. Robbie actually died during Dunkirk, and Cecilia died during the London bombings. But in her book, Robbie and Cecilia live out the rest of their lives by the cliffs of Dover. Because those two deserved a happy ending.
See, this twist would be SO DEVASTATING if you gave a damn about the romance. But again, it’s hard to root for a romance that lacks passion. I mean, what makes Titanic such a great movie is that you root for Jack and Rose to get together. You also see Rose change as a character and grow. Okay, how about Cold Mountain? I mean, it’s another war movie where Inman is trying to get back to his love, Ada. You also see Ada grow as a character. Yes, Briony is the main character and thus goes through all these changes. But Briony’s character revolves around Cecilia and Robbie.
I know a lot of people who adore this movie and consider it Joe Wright’s best film. Maybe this movie would be better if it weren’t shot like a Chanel commercial. Perhaps it would be better if the filmmaking served the story and wasn’t just a chance to show off.
