Atonement

The other day, I had the opportunity to watch Atonement. Someone had said it was just "ok." I decided to see it for myself and I am glad I did. It's a movie encompassed of crime, jealousy, passion, sexual tension and of course, love. It was also set in the early to mid-1900's, which seemed fitting. Typically, these types of movies have predictable plots due to the oppression of women and all the issues they had back then. Issues that we have come to know so well. Even so, the movie was enjoyable particularly due to its twists and turns. There's nothing special about the plot. It's nothing that we haven't seen before. It wasn't a huge blockbuster like Titanic or currently, Iron Man, but it deserves recognition in my book.

Summarily, it's about a young girl, named Briony, who witnesses sexual tension between her older sister (Cecilia) and the housekeeper's son (Robbie). After witnessing two sexual encounters between Cecilia and Robbie, Briony becomes convinced that Robbie is a crazed sex maniac that is out to hurt her sister. During all this, she's secretly in love with Robbie. After a series of events, she accuses Robbie of a crime he did not commit. As a result of Robbie's arrest and incarceration, Cecilia removes herself from her family because she believes in Robbie's innocence. Sounds simple enough - but it really isn't. There's more to the story ... a lot more.

At first, I wasn't really sure of what to think of Briony. She seemed pretty intense. She had an air about her that I couldn't figure out. Is she really an innocent little girl or is she a scary sociopath stuck inside a quiet girl just waiting to come out and go on a murderous rampage? For a while there, I had thought she just might go ahead and kill someone. Funny how Atonement is a drama - for a few scenes, I had felt like I was sitting on the edge of my seat watching a horror movie, anticipating that someone is going to be killed within the next few minutes.

As events took place, I began to soften towards Briony. Poor girl. She was thrust into a world of lust and sexual fantasies, stuck in the middle of a blossoming relationship between the man she had a crush on and her older sister. At that point, I wouldn't have blamed her if she did turn out to be crazy and killed somebody. In the movie, we see Briony grow and mature into a young woman who regrets the decisions she made as a young girl. Again, you can't help but feel for her, even though she's the one responsible for the false arrest and imprisonment of Robbie.

What I really liked about this movie is its ability to keep you guessing. It's like trying to piece together bits of information into a complete puzzle; and even if you succeed, the solution's wrong anyway. Because, in this movie, nothing's really what it seems. So if you're ever in the mood to play a guessing game of "is it or is it not?" then this is the movie for you.

At the risk of sounding like Ebert & Roeper (or formerly Siskel & Ebert), I give it two thumbs up.