Rating: R | Runtime: 123 minutes
Release Date: September 7th, 2007 (UK) / December 7th, 2007 (USA)
Studio: Universal Pictures International (UPI) / Focus Features
Director(s): Joe Wright
Writer(s): Christopher Hampton / Ian McEwan (novel)

No rhymes and no embellishments.

Ladies and gentlemen, give a hand to director Joe Wright. He has crafted a masterpiece. With similarities to Cold Mountain and A Very Long Engagement, Atonement proves so much more. Visually stunning, intellectually stimulating, and forever heartbreaking, Wright has made a singular work of art. Sure, I’ve seen other “perfect” films (for lack of a better word) this year, but they are all in relationship with each other nonetheless.

This is the one that I can truly say is something I will buy and share with everyone I know. I can only imagine how much greater Ian McEwan’s source novel proves as a result. From start to finish we’re shown a glimpse into the lives of the Tallis family and those surrounding them. It’s a time of social status and proper manners—an era led by its rules and prejudices. So, for a young girl too naïve and innocent to fully grasp that world, it becomes a very dangerous playground.

At its backbone is the idea that everyone sees events and history through their own eyes to manufacture their own truth. Unless you’re privy to every second of an occurrence from its cause to effect, you can never fully comprehend whether what you saw was real. Reality can become a very fine line to walk when paired with experience. Atonement is constantly playing with this notion to show us sequences from the eyes of both their viewer and their participants.

Whereas two lovers are afraid to let slip their social faux-pas of a relationship outside of classe rank, an accuser is so set in her warped truth that objectivity is an afterthought. I knew from the trailers what was to come—namely that a sexual encounter would lead a young girl to incriminate an innocent man—but I never believed it would prove as brutal as it does. The groundwork laid down for young Briony Tallis to even consider her girlish crush could commit such an atrocity was what I thought would tear these people apart. I very wrong.

It’s amazing how one moment can so utterly devastate the lives of those involved that the consequences can’t be imagined until years later. Between Robbie having to go to jail and then join the army during WWII for a crime he did not commit (it’s tough to watch him return to the house with the two young twins he’d been searching for, totally oblivious to the crime that transpired in his absence) and his love Cecilia Tallis losing the one thing she didn’t know she even had until a couple hours prior, it’s impossible to believe the orchestrator of all this sorrow might even have it even worse.

Cecilia’s sister Briony did what she thought was right. She was led into a lie by the victim and must live with the regret and guilt for the rest of her life without any means to vindicate herself or make amends. I don’t even know if what she did could honestly ever be forgiven since her sheltered aristocratic upbringing and wild imagination can’t be held accountable. Society is at fault too for holding the weak words of a thirteen-year-old as fact against a servant boy—let alone how much a part of the family he had become or how educated he was.

The acting is phenomenal. From supporting players on out, everyone shines. The improper sexual attraction between Benedict Cumberbatch’s chocolate tycoon and Tallis cousin Lola (Juno Temple) is executed perfectly. The confused girl at the center of it all, Briony, is remarkably brought to life by all three incarnations along her lifetime via Saoirse Ronan, Romola Garai, and Vanessa Redgrave. And Daniel Mays is unforgettable as Robbie’s friend in the war en route to Dunkirk. Mays’ steals some moments in a brief role thanks in part to his unique view on the war: “The French hate us. We already have India and Africa. Let’s just let Germany take France and Italy. Heck, who has ever been to Poland anyway?”

Despite all their success, however, it’s the leads that carry the film. Keira Knightley is amazing as Cecilia, escaping her groomed lifestyle to be with the man she has always loved. The pain she expresses and the pain her love causes herself is believable at every turn. I’ll admit to never quite understanding the hype surrounding her as an actress, but I definitely do now.

As for Robbie, the man at the heart of it all, James McAvoy really comes into his own. Sure, he’s been great in previous work (even stealing scenes from Oscar winner Forest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland), but his portrayal here shows his true worth. Robbie knows his place in society and accepts his fate. Only after discovering his love was reciprocated does he allow himself to fight to survive. The scene where he meets Briony many years after that fateful night is a powerful one to experience with emotions running high and wild. All three actors in that scene deliver.

Director Joe Wright deserves a lot of praise too. His handling of the material is impeccable and the result is glorious to behold. From his editing style showing all viewpoints of every situation to the sweeping crane shots following his characters to the brilliant performances he gets from everyone involved, Wright has a steady hand in complete control. The film might be a top ten candidate for me just based on two sequences alone.

When the war hits Briony’s hospital, the resulting montage of carnage, grief, and compassion is overwhelming. But it’s the arrival of Robbie and his two friends at Dunkirk that takes the prize. This elaborate long take is astonishing. It begins with them arguing with a superior about getting back home, moves to talk about the slaughter of horses and automobiles, then a group of men singing and some on an amusement park ride. We eventually lose these three men in the chaos before rejoining them again at the bar across the way until the camera ends on an all-encompassing view of the beach. It’s a stunning scene to behold that sums up the whole film with its artistry and attention to detail. Complete with a startling revelation at its conclusion, I can’t think of a better word to describe Atonement than “perfect.”

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Keira Knightley (left) and James McAvoy (right) star in Focus Features’ ATONEMENT, the romance based on Ian McEwan’s award-winning best-selling novel, directed by Joe Wright (PRIDE & PREJUDICE). Photo: Alex Bailey.