Atonement Joe Wright's 2007 Atonement opens with a shot of the home of Briony et al. in miniature -- a replica of the mansion estate where the main characters live and work in England, 1935. The shot pulls back as the keys of a typewriter are heard clacking away (prior to this, the clacks coincide with the appearance of the text on-screen announcing both title and setting of the film -- and the shift from non-diegetic to diegetic sound is the first of many surprises in this cleverly crafted period piece by Wright). Wright's command of the material is as impressive as his work in Pride and Prejudice and as mesmerizing as it would later be in Anna Karenina. Here, the whole of the film, which is "a story about storytelling" (Santas, Wilson, Colavito, Baker 60), is foreshadowed in one subtle pull-back as the camera, focused squarely on the miniature doll-house replica of the homestead backs up to reveal a line of animal play toys, marching in a row away from the house towards some ark-like object off-screen: yet -- as the camera pans -- and here is another reveal -- the "ark" is 12-year-old Briony, whose key tapping is the source of the clackety-clack, and who embodies in her own efforts to be a young playwright the preservation of life, just as Noah did with his building of the ark (symbolic references such as this are dropped like subtle clues, effecting a delightful and intelligent appeal for film-goers yearning for a more mature, thematic and literary approach to cinema). The effort is not wasted here and the effect is one of the most subtle yet engaging hints as to who Briony is and what she will become: her life-long work as an author (which will serve as the substance of Atonement) will be her attempt to preserve or "save" what she herself in her childish innocence and cruelty was half-guilty of destroying.

The film is thus centered on Briony, who is an intensely creative and curious girl in 1935 (with a flair for the dramatic). Her attention is caught by Robbie, the son of a worker on the estate; Robbie is in love with Cecilia (played deftly by Keira Knightley); and it is the fountain one afternoon that their love (displayed antagonistically...

Her (innocent?) strip tease (and Robbie's courteous/embarrassed/yet-obviously-attracted deference (Robbie is played with all the charm, charisma, conflict and pent up frustration typical of a James McAvoy character) are enough to fuel the library lovemaking that will ensue minutes later in the film (after a "joke" erotic letter accidentally gets delivered to Cecilia and the "tease" is reversed, leading to an obvious eruption of desire on her part as well). In short, the two fall in love and consummate before the shocked eyes of Briony who happens to see both the fountain scene and now the library one. She is hurt and confused -- and later when questions about a rape arise, Briony fingers Robbie as an act of revenge. Robbie is innocent, of course, but off he goes to prison -- for four years.
The seemingly effortless way in which Wright manages this series of dramatic events is remarkable: and the use of water, both as a thematic element and a symbolic motif (water is purifying -- it washes away the sins -- and crushing), plays an integral part. As Peter Travers states, "Atonement sweeps you up on waves of humor, heartbreak and ravishing romance" -- and "waves" is right. Even Roger Ebert notes that the "scenes have floated effortlessly" and part of the reason it seems that way is Wright's usage of water as a motif. Water is the element which is pivotal in the transformation of the relationship between Cecilia and Robbie at the fountain: without it, the erotic eruption between the two would have most likely continued to simmer just below the surface. But because Cecilia makes bold to take a dip, she goes in as one person and comes out as quite another -- before, a somewhat cruel and teasing maiden; after, an alive young woman awakened by the awareness of flesh-and-blood desire and the obvious effect she has on the young man.

But water…