Critical Essay "Atonement"
‘ATONEMENT’
Joe Wright’s 2002 feature film ‘Atonement’, based on Ian McEwan’s 2002 critically acclaimed novel of the same name, masterfully adapted for the screen by Christopher Hampton, is at its heart about language and its power; about the way a lie told by a child – inspired by a letter not intended for her eyes – changes the lives of those who hear it; and how that child later longs to make things right again, to restore the indolent simplicity of that summer afternoon through the innocent sound of clicking keys.
“A T O N E M E N T”, the letters comprising the word appear one after the other on the big screen as if typed on a typewriter, and are thus imprinted on the minds of the audience as confirmation of both the overarching theme and literary nature of the story that is about to unfold. Opening in pre-war England, 1935, on the hottest day of that year, the story begins with Briony (here played by Saoirse Ronan), a 13 year old girl, sitting at the typewriter in her affluent family’s country mansion, having just finished a play entitled, The Trials of Arabella. The play is intended to be performed by her and her young cousins that evening for the enjoyment of her family and honoured guests. Events that day take an unexpected twist when Briony witnesses her sister, Cecilia (Keira Knightley) savagely remove her clothes and dive into the garden fountain in front of family friend, Robbie (James McAvoy).
Cursed with an over-active imagination, Briony misinterprets what she has witnessed (a minor quarrel between Cecilia and Robbie), leading to salacious thoughts and gossip. This is exacerbated when Briony later intercepts an erotic letter written by Robbie, intended for Cecilia’s eyes only. Further confusion is created when, later that evening Briony discovers Cecilia and Robbie in a passionate embrace.
With Briony’s confused mind already at fever pitch, the night’s drama reaches its apex when she discovers her eldest cousin in the aftermath of being raped,
Joe Wright’s 2002 feature film ‘Atonement’, based on Ian McEwan’s 2002 critically acclaimed novel of the same name, masterfully adapted for the screen by Christopher Hampton, is at its heart about language and its power; about the way a lie told by a child – inspired by a letter not intended for her eyes – changes the lives of those who hear it; and how that child later longs to make things right again, to restore the indolent simplicity of that summer afternoon through the innocent sound of clicking keys.
“A T O N E M E N T”, the letters comprising the word appear one after the other on the big screen as if typed on a typewriter, and are thus imprinted on the minds of the audience as confirmation of both the overarching theme and literary nature of the story that is about to unfold. Opening in pre-war England, 1935, on the hottest day of that year, the story begins with Briony (here played by Saoirse Ronan), a 13 year old girl, sitting at the typewriter in her affluent family’s country mansion, having just finished a play entitled, The Trials of Arabella. The play is intended to be performed by her and her young cousins that evening for the enjoyment of her family and honoured guests. Events that day take an unexpected twist when Briony witnesses her sister, Cecilia (Keira Knightley) savagely remove her clothes and dive into the garden fountain in front of family friend, Robbie (James McAvoy).
Cursed with an over-active imagination, Briony misinterprets what she has witnessed (a minor quarrel between Cecilia and Robbie), leading to salacious thoughts and gossip. This is exacerbated when Briony later intercepts an erotic letter written by Robbie, intended for Cecilia’s eyes only. Further confusion is created when, later that evening Briony discovers Cecilia and Robbie in a passionate embrace.
With Briony’s confused mind already at fever pitch, the night’s drama reaches its apex when she discovers her eldest cousin in the aftermath of being raped,