Atonement

2/9/2024

"Cecilia" (Keira Knightley) has fallen for "Robbie" (James McCoy) - a man well down the social ladder from her family and their stately home. It's love, though, and the young man is doing his best to fit into their privileged world by studying (at their expense) at Cambridge with a view to becoming a doctor. Meantime, following a scene that she has completely misinterpreted and the reading of a letter that wasn't any of her business, their behaviour is being rather unhealthily scrutinised by her thirteen year old sister "Briony" (Saoirse Ronan) who soon becomes fixated on the couple, on destroying the couple and to that latter end she concocts a story that not only achieves her goal, but sees "Robbie" wrongly incarcerated for a fairly heinous crime. The war intervenes and that gives the lo

5/3/2026

**Atonement (2007)** _Directed by Joe Wright_ The story is powerful and emotional, based on Ian McEwan's novel about a single catastrophic lie and its decades-long consequences. The screen adaptation by Christopher Hampton is as strong as, or stronger than, the source material. This is an incredible, maybe perfect, screenplay brought to life by Joe Wright with a visual style that's utterly unique. Wright doesn't just film the story; he creates a cinematic language for it, using long takes, precise compositions, and that extraordinary Dunkirk tracking shot that moves through chaos with impossible grace. The continuity of the three actors who played the aging Briony, from Saoirse Ronan as the precocious child who tells the lie, to Romola Garai as the young woman seeking redemption t

6/1/2026

Absolutely amazing and well acted drama that I've seen a few times going back to 2007 (I think in the theater). Keira Knightley and James McAvoy shared great chemistry in the few scenes they had together and Saoirse Ronan was amazing (earning her an Academy Award nomination). The only criticism I have is the ending where it felt more like absolution than atonement. Still a stunning movie with incredible cinematography and amazing performances. **4.5/5**