Atonement (2007)

Fledgling writer Briony Tallis, as a 13-year-old, irrevocably changes the course of several lives when she accuses her older sister's lover of a crime he did not commit. Based on the British romance novel by Ian McEwan.

Director:

Joe Wright

Writers:

Ian McEwan (novel), Christopher Hampton (screenplay)

Stars:

Saoirse Ronan, Brenda Blethyn, James McAvoy

Won 1 Oscar. Another 28 wins & 79 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Saoirse Ronan	...	Briony Tallis, aged 13
Ailidh Mackay	...	Singing Housemaid
Brenda Blethyn	...	Grace Turner
Julia West	...	Betty
James McAvoy	...	Robbie Turner
Harriet Walter	...	Emily Tallis
Keira Knightley	...	Cecilia Tallis
Juno Temple	...	Lola Quincey
Felix von Simson	...	Pierrot Quincey
Charlie von Simson	...	Jackson Quincey
Alfie Allen	...	Danny Hardman
Patrick Kennedy	...	Leon Tallis
Benedict Cumberbatch	...	Paul Marshall
Peter Wight	...	Police Inspector
Leander Deeny	...	Police Constable

Storyline

When Briony Tallis, 13 years old and an aspiring writer, sees her older sister Cecilia and Robbie Turner at the fountain in front of the family estate she misinterprets what is happening thus setting into motion a series of misunderstandings and a childish pique that will have lasting repercussions for all of them. Robbie is the son of a family servant toward whom the family has always been kind. They paid for his time at Cambridge and now he plans on going to medical school. After the fountain incident, Briony reads a letter intended for Cecilia and concludes that Robbie is a deviant. When her cousin Lola is raped, she tells the police that it was Robbie she saw committing the deed.

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Plot Keywords:

writer | estate | british | fountain | love | 

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Taglines:

You can only imagine the truth.

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Romance | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for disturbing war images, language and some sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Focus Features [us] Official site [uk]

Country:

UK France USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

4 January 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Expiación, deseo y pecado

Filming Locations:

Aldwych Underground Station, Aldwych, Holborn, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$796,836 (USA) (7 December 2007)

Gross:

$50,921,738 (USA) (4 April 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, StudioCanal, Relativity Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Vanessa Redgrave noted that "Saoirse Ronan and Romola Garai and I did some improvisations on body language, among other things, for Briony. Joe - who is brilliant with actors - was able to pick and choose what he wanted focused on during the filming."

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Goofs

In the scene when Robbie types the letter, he starts it with "In my dreams" and then presses return and starts a NEW line with "I kiss your c**t..." But later when Briony opens the letter after the rape has occurred, the first line in the letter is "In my dreams I". The second line then starts "kiss your c**t, your sweet wet c**t."

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Quotes

[first lines]
Briony Tallis, aged 13: I finished my play.

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Crazy Credits

The title types itself out like on a typewriter.

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Connections

Referenced in Top Gear: Episode #19.5 (2013)

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Soundtracks

"Miss You"
Written by Charles Tobias, Harry Tobias, Henry H. Tobias (as Henry Tobias)
Performed by Flanagan and Allen
Courtesy of The Decca Music Group
Under license from Universal Music Operations Ltd

User Reviews

my review

Well, from the trailers I could tell this would be an epic film before I was even able to see it. I managed to attend a gala screening of the film last night and I thought it was amazing. Despite my constant dislike to Keira Knightly, I was unable to disapprove of her acting in this film. She has improved massively since the first pirates film. The film itself has an intriguing plot line which keeps you hooked throughout. The film includes humour at the start and fascination by the end. I loved watching this film and I enjoyed the smartness of the story. The film is cleverly done with jumps in time and different perspectives of events throughout which will leave you understanding the motives of each character more. The music is composed beautifully, the orchestral tunes accompanied with the clatter that a typewriter makes creates a beautiful piece of music that fits perfectly with the film itself. I have since begun to read the book, the only thing that the film lacks is the character depth that a book can write about but a film simply can't explain. I feel that the film shows what happened but the book is able to explain a little more as to why the events occurred. Overall the film was beautiful, brilliant and emotional.