Saturday,BBC1,11pm
Joe Wright’s Atonement (2007) is a cinematic masterwork of romance, betrayal, and penance, adapted from Ian McEwan’s acclaimed novel. The film follows the devastating ripple effects of a single lie told by a young girl, Briony Tallis, whose misunderstanding of an interaction between her sister Cecilia and the household caretaker Robbie leads to irrevocable consequences. Wright’s direction is evocative and painterly, employing sumptuous visuals to contrast the fragility of personal relationships against the grand canvas of wartime England. The performances—most notably Saoirse Ronan’s quietly chilling Briony, Keira Knightley’s aching Cecilia, and James McAvoy’s tragic Robbie—anchor the film in raw, human emotion, making its tragic conclusion all the more shattering.
The score, composed by Dario Marianelli, is a key character in Atonement’s storytelling. Marianelli’s collaboration with Wright resulted in one of the most original and memorable soundtracks of the 21st century. Central to the score is the use of a typewriter as a percussive instrument, mirroring Briony’s journey as both a storyteller and unreliable narrator. Tracks like “Briony” and “Elegy for Dunkirk” employ this typewriter motif, blending its mechanical clatter with swelling strings and somber piano, evoking the tension between innocence and consequence. The climactic “Elegy for Dunkirk” is particularly breathtaking, underscoring the harrowing evacuation sequence with an unrelenting, melancholic grandeur that perfectly captures the futility and human cost of war.
Marianelli’s score doesn’t just accompany the film—it amplifies its themes of memory, regret, and the yearning for redemption. By weaving the typewriter’s staccato rhythm with lush orchestral flourishes, he reflects Briony’s obsessive attempt to rewrite her guilt into atonement. The music, like the narrative, circles back on itself, a haunting reminder of the consequences of a single moment of misunderstanding. Paired with Wright’s sweeping visuals, Marianelli’s work elevates Atonement into a film that lingers long after the final credits roll, its beauty inseparable from its tragedy.
- Daisy Rae