The final in our five-part series looking at the Best Picture nominees, Telaroli takes a look at the hidden class politics of Atonement.
With lush photography and a beautiful cast, Joe Wright's Oscar nominated Atonement is being advertised as an epic romance, and while romance does weave itself in and out of the plot, it doesn't really get to the heart of the film.
From the opening shot, a long line of animal figurines representing all of the jungle and the natural order of things, it's clear that instead of love, this is a movie about class. For in England, the natural order of things, no matter how unnatural it may seem, is their rigid class system.
After the animal kingdom parade ends we meet Briony, a young girl with a gift for writing but without anyone to give her or her writing much attention. A quick conversation with Robbie (James McAvoy), the handsome gardener, subtly reveals that Briony has a crush on him. When Briony later asks her sister Cecilia (Keira Knightley) why she no longer talks to Robbie, it's obvious that she isn't doing so out of concern for her sister's relationship with Robbie, but out of her own selfishness.
Cecilia, without any hesitation, tells Briony that they "move in different circles, that's all," and in fact they do. Robbie's mother works for Cecilia and Briony's family as a housekeeper and cooke, leaving Robbie to grow up with the family. And even though the girls' father paid for his education he was always on the outside looking in. Despite his education, the story begins with Robbie working as the gardener, trying to get money for medical school, his attempt to climb a bit higher on the societal ladder. His feelings are for the older sister and as he daydreams of Cecilia in the bathtub, a military plane flies overhead, a reminder of his status in life and a view of things to come.
From here we follow Cecilia, Robbie and Briony into a fateful night that changes all of their lives. Before dinner, the two from different circles finally declare their love for each other. Unfortunately for them, a confused Briony interrupts their physical and emotional declaration. Later in the evening, when everyone is walking through the woods, Briony , out of both jealousy and not wanting to cross class lines, tells the police that she saw Robbie raping her cousin Lola.
The real culprit, the much richer chocolate magnate Paul Marshall, is of course never suspected, as it makes more sense to both Lola and Briony that the man who runs in a "different circle" would be the appropriate choice considering the crime. Even Cecilia's pleas to the police and her mother that Robbie is innocent and Briony isn't to be trusted aren't enough to outweigh their prejudice against the lower man.
As the second half of the film begins, we see Robbie go to jail and a few years later to war (World War II), as we learn the grim outcome of attempting to escape one's lot in life. The war he enters is not one of glory, but one of death and destruction. As he and two fellow soldiers roam the countryside trying to find a way home, we learn that Cecilia has abandoned her family for what they did to Robbie and is now working as nurse. Likewise, Briony, 5 years older, is also a nurse, but for her being a nurse is only about about penance.
As we dive further into the future, there are moments when it appears that true love will win and Robbie will make it to the shore and back home to Cecilia. But of course, the film is called Atonement, and Robbie's descent to the beach is filled with an underlying sense of dread. His arrival is cluttered with the horror of war, the beach is covered with debris, horses lining up to be shot and thousands of ragged soldiers all waiting to go home. Robbie's exploration of the tragic surroundings is one continuous (and amazing) shot that goes on for about ten minutes, visually adding emphasis to the true nature of war and sealing Robbie's fate. It's no mistake that he sees a vision of his mother right before the stresses of war do him in, her presence confirming his place in society. (It's also a striking reminder of who in society ends up fighting when there is a war - I can't help but think about Iraq and the government's track record of recruiting in poor neighborhoods)
Even though romance may not be the driving force of the film, it's vital in giving Atonement a more progressive stance, as we understand the consequences of class barriers in England (equivalent to race here in the US) because we want Cecilia and Robbie to be together and it's the class system that has kept our heroes apart.
Even the adult Briony's (played by Lynn Redgrave) attempt to rewrite history by adding a scene to her novel (also the movie we are watching) where Robbie and Cecilia reunite is easy to see through. The brief scene, in which we see Robbie and Cecelia living together in a small apartment, has an undeniable air of falsity to it. And when we later hear adult Briony admit that they never actually met again, that the scene was a figment of her imagination, we're not surprised.
This is where the true message of the movie comes into play, the significance of atoning, specifically the added narrative where Robbie and Cecilia get to experience happiness, signals that societies and people have the ability to right their wrongs. We all make mistakes and like Briony, do things we know to be wrong, but when we realizes the error of our ways, we can still help, still make a difference. Perhaps if Briony had come to terms sooner she could have acted and changed the fate of Robbie and Cecilia. Instead, we see a sad but realistic tale of misinterpretation, jealousy and bad timing. With that tragedy however, we are able to reflect on our own personal and global responsibility when it comes to prejudice and owning up to the decisions we have all made, even if it means simply writing a book and giving those we have hurt a fictional happiness.
So does Atonement deserve to win Best Picture? Honestly, I don't think so. Overall its a fairly mediocre film with above average cinematography. But it definitely deserves a look, if only for it's attempt to express the dangers of living in a society where all people are not treated equally along with the importance of admitting one's fault and doing whatever you can to make up for it. As a country that is currently engaged in a war, that I would argue even the government knows is wrong, I can only hope that the next election cycle people will see the error of past ways and vote for someone who will end said war. For here in the US, we are in serious need of some atonement.
