Atonement: the jury is still out

So, it’s been about two weeks since I saw Atonement and I still can’t decide if I liked it. The camera work, the scenery, the script, the soundtrack, everything about it was impeccable and done so beautifully. Yet some things fell flat for me and some of the war scenes weren’t my favorite, but I’m not a fan of them at all.

Atonement is a love story about a typical scenario with two lovers torn apart by war. However, the unfortunate circumstances in which they were separated are unconventional and slightly heartbreaking. Briony has a vivid imagination that runs wild when she becomes jealous of her older sister, Cecilla, and a servant, Robbie, as she see them flirt and fall in love.

Things do get a little confusing as it darts a little back and forth, but it is effective and goes with the feeling of the movie.

Saoirse Ronan, the actress who plays Briony at the age of 13, does an amazing job of making you hate her. She did an incredible job in general, but my god, did you loathe her.

With Ronan doing such a good job, you expected her 18 year-old version, Romola Garai, to be just as good, yet I was disappointed. All she did was keep her head down and talk to the floor throughout her entire part, which is not something I look for in an actress. There was a scene where she had to comfort an injured soldier and I don’t know if it was part of her character, but she was so incredibly awkward. I hope it was supposed to be that way, because she did a great job at being awkward and uncomfortable.

Despite the disappointment of Garai’s performance, the acting from Keira Knightly and James McAvoy was great. The whole mood of the movie (apart from the war scenes) was just soft and lovely.

Sadly this was not a movie with a happy ending and you didn’t feel justified with the death of Briony, but I definitely suggest you go to the movie and see if you can tell me if you liked it.

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