- published: 11 Sep 2007
- views: 653610
Atonement is a 2007 British romantic drama war film directed by Joe Wright. It is a film adaptation of the 2001 novel of the same name by Ian McEwan. The film stars James McAvoy, Keira Knightley, and Saoirse Ronan. It was produced by Working Title Films and filmed throughout the summer of 2006 in England and France. Distributed in most of the world by Universal Pictures, it was released in the United Kingdom and Ireland on 7 September 2007, and in North America on 7 December 2007.
Atonement opened the 64th Venice International Film Festival, making Wright, at the age of 35, the youngest director ever to open the event. The film also opened the 2007 Vancouver International Film Festival.
The film won an Oscar for the Best Original Score at the 80th Academy Awards, and was nominated for six others, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress (Saoirse Ronan). At the 61st British Academy Film Awards it won Best Film and Production Design awards.
In 1935, Briony Tallis (Saoirse Ronan), a 13-year-old girl from a wealthy English family, has just finished writing a play. As Briony attempts to stage the play with her cousins, they get bored and decide to go swimming. Briony stays behind and witnesses a significant moment of sexual tension between her older sister, Cecilia (Keira Knightley), and Robbie Turner, a servant's son (James McAvoy), a man Briony has a childish crush on. Robbie returns home and writes several drafts of letters to Cecilia, including one that is explicit and erotically charged. He does not, however, intend to send it and sets it aside. On his way to join the Tallis family celebration, Robbie asks Briony to deliver his letter, only to later realise that he has mistakenly given her the prurient draft. Briony secretly reads the letter and becomes still more suspicious of Robbie's intentions.
In this life, I am a prisoner to my selfish ways
Desires of the flesh waging a war
Two masters fighting for the throne, of my heart
Oh God when you look at me, do You feel I'm being honest?
Or am i just a coward, giving in to all that is offered?
Rescue me, what a wretched man I am.
Pull me from this body, break the chains and set me free
From this place of desolation, with a hand of redemption
Pull me up and pull me out. Save me from myself
this is where i end and grace begins
this is where i end You begin.