It's 1935, and the wealthy Tallis family is happily passing the hottest day of the year at their mansion in the British countryside. But when sparks fly between older daughter, Cecilia (Keira Knightley), and the housekeeper's son, Robbie Turner (James McAvoy), Cecilia's 13-year-old sister Briony (Saoirse Ronan) overactive imagination causes her to accuse him of a crime he didn't commit--driving a wedge between the young lovers possibly forever.
Based on the novel by Ian McEwan, Atonement is an epic war-time love story in the vein of The English Patient, and it does the genre proud. The actors are brimming with passion and angst--restrained, subtle, sympathetic and believable. And director Joe Wright (Pride & Prejudice) layers on gorgeous and striking imagery to add another layer to an already smart and spare script by Christopher Hampton. As beautiful as it is thought-provoking and soulful, Atonement is a December must-see.
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