This post was contributed by Cappy, the regular, guest contributor at JenWriter.

A ridiculously detailed non-spoiler-y to spoiler-y review

Quite a while ago, I ordered a book called Atonement on a whim. I had never heard of Ian McEwan and other than some good reviews online, I didn’t have any particular reason to want to read it. But sometimes, that’s how the best things happen. They creep up on you without any warning.

After spending a week dragging through the first eighty pages, I became invested out of nowhere. I flew through the rest within days and I finished it on a rainy summer afternoon after locking myself in my room, determined to get to the end. I distinctly remember reading the last page, closing the book and sitting silent in my room for ten minutes. Then the tears began. I cried, heaving sobs from the pit of my stomach. In my 22 years of being an avid reader, I never had any piece of literature affect me like Atonement did. If you’ve read it, you probably know exactly what I am talking about.

Shortly after I finished, I found out that a movie was being filmed. Not only did it star my Scottish crush James McAvoy as Robbie (see my last entry for my thoughts on how I felt about his casting), but it was being made by Joe Wright, the director of Pride and Prejudice, otherwise known as my favorite movie of all time. Even beyond that, it starred both Keira Knightley and Romola Garai, two actresses whose careers I have followed for years now. Three of my favorite actors, the director of my favorite movie and one of my favorite books of all time…what could be better?

After checking showtimes for a month (no exaggeration, I swear) and some delays due to the terrible New York weather, I was finally able to catch the movie today at a small, independent theater a little over an hour away from my house. I can honestly say that I feel that the movie accomplishes something amazing; it’s incredibly loyal to the book without losing what it needs to be a successful film. Oftentimes, book-to-film adaptations fail for either ignoring the original or using it too much. Filmmakers nowadays can’t seem to find the happy medium. After Pride and Prejudice and Atonement, Joe Wright has proved that he has it figured out.

First, this is not a movie that’s constantly attempting to grab your attention and keep you entertained. You can’t go in expecting to be blown away in the first half hour. In fact, I think it does its job after you’ve left the theater, much like the book takes its toll once you’ve finished it. The film really takes its time, and many might say that it’s a bit slow in the beginning, but I think slow is a negative word. It’s not slow, its patient. Within the first hour, very little happens, but everything that does happen is important. Keep that in mind.

In my opinion, James McAvoy puts in one of the best performances in years. He was underrated in last year’s Last King of Scotland, but he shines even more as Robbie Turner. He has to embody someone who goes from being genuinely good to someone who’s bitter and angry. Without even speaking, you can sense the change in him. McAvoy doesn’t have to say a single word and you know you’re not dealing with the same Robbie. I sincerely hope that we’ll see him as an Oscar nominee in February and I’ll be celebrating if he wins!

In the coming years, you will certainly be hearing a lot about Saoirse Ronan. She’ll be playing Susie Salmon in Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones and she’s already earned a Golden Globe nomination for this movie. Her competition at the Globes? Cate Blanchett and Julia Roberts, but don’t be shocked if she’s the winner. She’s unbelievable as young Briony. One of my pet peeves about child actors is their tendency to overact. Once they shed some tears, they’re the Mini-Me’s of Streep. What I absolutely love about Ronan’s performance is the fact that it’s subtle. There aren’t any weepy, melodramatic moments and her performance is never in your face, but that’s what makes it work. She doesn’t need any of that to be powerful. And I don’t hear too much about her co-star and fellow child actor Juno Temple, but she was brilliant as well!

Playing the middle Briony is Romola Garai, a favorite of mine since she starred in I Capture the Castle. In anticipation of seeing the movie, I read tons of reviews on it, most of which claimed Garai is the only weak link of the cast. While she doesn’t steal the show, she has a scene that rivals some of the single best performances of the film. Plus, anyone who has seen I Capture the Castle should immediately notice the difference in the characters she plays. Physically she looks the same, but her demeanor and even her voice are completely different in the two movies. Obviously, Wright took the time to let her see Ronan’s performance because you see echoes of little Briony in teenaged Briony. Even further, when Vanessa Redgrave comes in to play the elderly Briony, you see both Ronan and Garai in her. It’s absolutely amazing.

Finally, Keira Knightley, the tabloid darling whose talent was overlooked until she played Lizzie Bennet well. I always thought Cecilia would be a tough character to play, because even in the book, you don’t learn a whole lot about her. Knightley gives you just enough, but holds back when it’s necessary. Its definitely not Lizzie Bennet or Elizabeth Swann. Cecilia has to be repressed. After all, she represses her feelings for Robbie for years. Knightley acts a lot through her eyes in this one, which I loved. She was loyal to the book character.

Okay, so I have tried to give my opinions without giving anything away, but now’s the time to really dig deeper into the movie. And, that means SPOILER TIME! If you have not seen the movie or read the book, I implore you to stop reading right here until you do one or the other. Trust me. I am always on the lookout for spoilers, but the impact of Atonement is just not the same when you know what’s going to happen. If you haven’t read it, now is the perfect time to go read Jenny’s NYC blog. Shoo!

Phew. Let me tell you, writing those words above this was tough because I literally want to burst out with how I feel about the movie, but saying what I really want to say gives too much away! First things first, if you’re reading this, I am assuming that you have seen the movie and/or read the book, so I may be vague about details. I don’t want to waste space on things you already know, so here goes…

1. The Dunkirk Scene
James McAvoy absolutely blew this one out of the park. I made sure to notice little nuances about his reactions to things, and just those alone made me feel like I was really there. The writers clearly did their homework about Dunkirk. I also couldn’t help wondering how the hell they pulled that continuous shot off. Between the horses, the singing soldiers, the actors walking through chaos… wow. Not a single extra looked out of place. That was really neat. Oh, and I even got a small glimpse of Tobias Menzies, who brilliantly played Brutus in HBO’s Rome. Any inclusion of Tobias, even if it’s brief, brings greatness to a scene.

2. Briony’s French Soldier
Honestly, I forgot all about this part in the book until this scene started and I think that this scene worked better in the movie than it did in the book, to be honest. For some reason, seeing this scene played out was incredibly sad for me. It was easily Romola Garai’s best scene, and the one I alluded to earlier when I was talking generally about Garai. You could literally see the heartbreak on her face. This was a girl who was supposed to be studying in Cambridge, but due to her guilt, she was sitting with a dying man who kept reminding her of what she ruined and the love she’ll never have. Her desperate attempt in the last few moments of his life to reach out and tell him her real name was painful. For the first time the entire movie, Briony’s story was heartbreaking.

3. The Reunion Scene
I know I am beating a dead horse, but James McAvoy is a god. From his semi-calm questioning of Briony’s presence, to his angry rant at her, to him getting calmed down by Cecilia, his performance in this scene alone should win him an Oscar. Granted, it probably won’t, but dammit it should! You watch Robbie and know that he wants to be calm for Cecilia’s sake, but the reason why his life is so messed up is standing right in front of him. McAvoy embodies every single emotion possible.

4. The Big Ending
I feel like the fact that I knew what was going to happen took away from the power of the reveal. The shock could have made it more meaningful, but I had to be surprised one way or another and I’d choose to be surprised when reading rather than watching. Still, when older Briony admitted it and they cut to the shot of Robbie clutching his letters, I got teary (again). In the middle of the movie, when he falls asleep in the spot where you eventually learn he actually died in, I had a feeling that he was going to die there because he dreams about walking through a field of flowers at sunrise. They never really give you anything like that with Cecilia though, which is understandable. Her death scene was heart wrenching too, especially with the Titanic-esque shot of her floating peacefully.

5. The Real Last Goodbye
Now that I have discussed the ending, I feel better about discussing the scene of their real last time together. Again, knowing the ending, I knew that this scene would wind up being the last moments they spend together, so it was probably more tragic than the reunion scene for me. After all, that’s not what really happened. This scene is. McAvoy and Knightley embodied the awkwardness perfectly, and it was nice to see Cecilia’s seemingly coldness melt away as she made the first attempt to break that awkwardness. I liked that little hand-holding, “come back to me” moment a lot. I love the character of Robbie, and it seemed like the audience got to peek at the old Robbie for one last minute when she held his hand. After that, we never see the old Robbie again. Time and tragedy take their toll on him.

And finally…

6. Briony’s Atonement
As an aspiring writer, both Atonement the book and Atonement the movie bring up a good question. Does an author have the right to change real events in order to please him/herself and the reader? Briony decides to change the ending of the book, and she claims she did it to appease the audience since they wouldn’t want to know what really happened to Robbie and Cecilia. In the book, she admits it’s selfish as well. She wants to atone for the mistakes she made, and through her book, she gives Robbie and Cecilia the life they should have had together. Normally, if a book is based on fact, I’m not sure I would agree that an author has the right to change facts. However, I understand Briony’s point. Even though I hate what she did, she’s not a character who suddenly realizes her faults as she’s old and dying. She’s spent her life trying desperately to make up for her lies, but she knows that nothing can bring them back. In real life, her actions are irreversible. However, in fiction, they’re not. She can play God and create whatever ending she desires. Maybe it doesn’t make up for what she did, but in a world today where most people wouldn’t care at all, the fact that she gave them a happy ending in her own book is enough for me.

Reading Atonement, anticipating Atonement the film and finally seeing it have certainly been wonderful experiences. If you’ve seen the film, read the book and/or want to give your own analysis of Atonement, feel free to leave your comments. I always love a good debate, especially when it comes to books and film that I enjoyed.

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Filed under: reading, reviews