Oscar Review: Atonement

By definition, atonement means “reparation for a wrong or injury”. It is most commonly used with Christianity in reference to the Atonement, or the reconciliation of God and humankind through Jesus Christ. The amazing thing about the next Best Picture nominee, Atonement, is that the definition of the word describes the film so perfectly.

Looking at the face value of Atonement, the trailer portrays it as another romantic period piece starring Keira Knightley. I can, however, assure you that there is much, much more to this film. Based off of a novel by British romance writer, Ian McEwan, Atonement shows you that things are not always what they seem.

The story takes you through the romance between Cecelia Tallis (Knightley) and Robbie Turner (James McAvoy). Their rather sordid affair leads Cecelia’s younger sister, Briony, to believe that he is an evil man. She witnesses many acts that she feels are true, but as in many cases, what you see, is not always what you get. Briony witnesses a crime, in which, she believes Robbie to be the criminal and her account of that act tears the lovers apart.

The film shows the audience what Briony sees and then what really happened. In my opinion, it is an interesting approach to telling this type of story. At first, you are disoriented by the jump in perspective, but similar to the ABC series, LOST, you quickly find your way through the plot.

As much as I enjoyed Juno, so far Atonement is my favorite of the Best Picture nominees. It has passion, story, fantastic performances and the filmmaking is outstanding. I also felt that the sound editing/mixing was phenomenal. Bits and pieces of the lives of the characters are wrapped into the score through sound effects.

Oscar Notes: In my review of There Will Be Blood, I reported an incorrect number of nominations for Atonement. It is nominated for 7 Academy Awards, not 8. Here’s the breakdown. While these nominations are well-deserved, I also feel that Atonement should have been nominated for Sound Mixing and Sound Editing.

• Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role - Saoirse Ronan (Briony)
• Achievement in Art Direction - Sarah Greenwood (Art Direction), Katie Spenser (Set Direction)
• Achievement in Cinematography - Seamus McGarvey
• Achievement in Costume Design - Jacqueline Durran
• Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score) - Dario Marianelli
• Best Motion Picture of the Year - Tim Bevan, Eric Feliner and Paul Webster (Producers)
• Adapted Screenplay - Christopher Hampton