Hammerman Ikon

Hammerman Ikon Film Guide

Atonement
2007
***
Director: Joe Wright
Cast: James McAvoy, Keira Knightley, Romola Garai, Saoirse Ronan, Vanessa Redgrave

A meticulous adaptation of Ian McEwan's award winning novel. A young fanciful girl misinterprets an innocent moment between her sister and the housekeeper's son, which has dramatic consequences to all of their lives. This is a beautifully staged drama (in the middle part Wright captures the madness of the Dunkirk evacuation in one long stunning shot), but it's not able to make its characters or their pain believable.