Atonement

I walked into Atonement thinking it would be one of those highly respected period British films that has wonderful costume design and takes place in some old country estate. The kind I used to see previews for on old VHS tapes and wondered who ever watched those. This film it is that but it is also much more. Beautifully photographed with wonderful performances, Atonement is easily the best romantic tragedy in some time (I honestly can't think of the last good one). It starts out as one thing and then right when you are getting settled in switches to another, completely different. It also has a way of doubling back onto itself. Showing you a situation from one point of view then showing it again, only you don't even realize you are watching it for a second until the scene is over. It is only when you see these instances a second time that you truly understand what has taken place.

There is also a great amount of style in this film. Director Joe Wright has sort of thrust himself onto the A list of directors with this, the way he frames his images, or the simple close ups before a transition. It is so good that I want to go back and see his first film, Pride and Prejudice, something I never thought I would say. There are images here that almost feel like paintings, the way the people are staged before the camera, but this is by no means a slow moving film or uptight in any way. It moves at an astounding pace and right when you are starting to think it couldn't get much better, Wright has the audacity to pull out a five and a half minute tracking shot that is as good as anything in last year's Children of Men.

I must also make special mention of the music from the film. What is a somewhat traditional score is taken to another level with the use of striking typewriter keys to act as its percussion. At first you think the noises are coming from another room and only when they stop do you realize it has been mixed in with the different themes. It adds almost another level to the story, especially when the finale comes and you realize the sounds may have actually been coming from the mind of one of the main characters.

NOTE: I meant to put this in the review above but I completely forgot to. The film also has quite a few funny moments and I have never seen a story that hinges almost completely on one word. A word probably a little too vulgar to post here for anyone reading this at work. It is presented here in large letters that fill the screen and that makes me laugh (I will give you a hint, the word rhymes with a kind of hard candy that are shaped like different fruits).