“Atonement” does a couple of things that don’t always go together well: It succeeds as a romance, and it raises weighty questions about the very nature of storytelling and art. Head down to the theater to enjoy the former, for sure, but stick around for the other part as well.
This film is based on the 2001 novel by Ian McEwan, and it’s directed by Joe Wright, who did the enjoyable but lightweight adaptation of “Pride &Prejudice” with Keira Knightley. Nothing about that film suggested the strong final 20 minutes of this one.
But first, the romance-movie aspect. At first glance, the story looks like the stuff of classic Brit lit: In 1930s England, rich girl Cee (Knightley) is in love with servant’s son Robbie (James McAvoy); they finally consummate their passion in the library of her parents’ estate.
But there’s a snake in the grass: Cee’s younger sister, Briony (Saoirse Ronan), a 13-year-old with too much drama in her head. She tells a lie that brings disaster for the young couple.
The story then ranges across World War II and the evacuation at Dunkirk. The separation of the lovers takes on grand proportions, and the movie doesn’t always avoid conventional flavors of corn.
But it’s in service of a fascinating structure: There’s much about this story we won’t understand until the last reels. When it all snaps into place, in sequences ingeniously adapted by screenwriter Christopher Hampton, it’s a brilliant effect. The film makes you wonder whether the art of the born storyteller is transformative or monstrous, or a little of both.
Keira Knightley appears perfectly comfortable with grown-up roles, and James McAvoy (from “The Last King of Scotland”) continues his ascendance as the British leading man of the moment. Ronan is spooky as the young Briony, and Romola Garai her equal as the older version. Other roles are superbly filled by Benedict Cumberbatch (from “Amazing Grace”) and Vanessa Redgrave.
Director Wright reaches for largeness a few times, notably in a single-take ramble across the beach at Dunkirk, where thousands of British soldiers are waiting to escape the oncoming Germany army.
That’s impressive, and it’s the kind of sweep that will entice fans of doomed romances. But stick around for the ending, which consists of two people talking in a simply-lit room, and ancient sins revealed. That’s just as devastating as the melodrama.
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