Atonement

Joined by Love. Seperated by Fear. Redeemed by Hope.

Last night I watched Atonement, a 2007 adaptation of the novel of the same name by Ian McEwan. It was a really touching and beautiful film and really made me sad to think about being in the same situation as the main characters in the film. The film is about a young couple, Cecilia and Robbie, who shortly after finding love together are seperated by the silly lies of a young and immature child- the younger sister of Cecilia, Briony Tallis. Briony is a budding writer with an active imagination and a crush on her sister's lover Robbie. She claims to have seen him do something she isn't sure she saw to get him taken away so that not only she can't have him, but neither can her sister. Although the main characters are portrayed as Robbie and Cecilia, the film is very much about the effects that Briony's foolish lies have on their lives until the day they die. I think the young actress Saoirse Ronan, who plays Briony is a briliant actress and the real star of the film. 

The film is brilliantly directed and has an award winning score which I noticed involved the sound of a typewriter throughout the film. This was very relevant at the beginning when we see both Briony and Robbie use typwriters, but is used throughout the film, often I think, to emphasise the passing of time- like the ticking of a clock. It's also used to build tension with the clicks speeding up and down as tension builds and fades.

I also noticed the colour of costumes in the fim seemed to be quite significant. Briony, who is porrtrayed as a rather nasty child, is always dressed in white. I think this gives her a look of innocence which seems to be a misjudgement of her character by her parents and peers. Towards the end of the film though, you begin to realise that she was just as innocent as any child, but was naive to what long term effects her lies can have on people. In the end her lies have a big affect on her life too.

I think one of the most striking and memorable images from the film is that of Kiera Knightley in a vivid green dress. It made me think about the colour and what mood it creates. Green is supposed to be calm and soothing and represent good luck. But it also represents jealousy, which Briony feels towards Cecilia. This could be the reason the stylist chose this colour, but I think in the context the colour became very sexy and had the same striking effect that a red dress would usually be used for in a film. I found it quite interesting how the colour of the dress seemed to make the scene so much more impactful and memorable.