Trailer makers need to ask for ‘Atonement’

I hadn’t looked forward to seeing “Atonement.” The why of this involves my ongoing issues with movie trailers.

See, “Atonement” is based on the novel by Ian McEwan. The British author specializes in literary fiction, which is another way of saying that his novels don’t follow mainstream expectations. They’re well written problem plays, with discursive, sometimes seemingly meandering plot lines peopled by complex characters doing often shocking things.

In essence, then, McEwan’s work is the antithesis of what Hollywood expects of a typical script And, in fact, typical is how the trailer to “Atonement” plays. Typical in feel, plot and theme.

Which is why I wanted to avoid the film that Joe Wright ( “Pride and Prejudice” ) made of it.

I was pleasantly surprised to find my fears were misplaced.

Wright gives us a film that many people won’t like. It is a story that could be told in a way that would play to the average potboiler – something, like, “The Horse Whisperer” or “The Notebook.” But Wright, following McEwan’s lead, makes “Atonement” into something a lot more intricate – and intriguing.

So in telling the tale of a huge wrong, of a girl – unable to understand adult urges much less emotions – saying something that sends her sister’s lover to prison (and then into the British army), Wright spends time doing a “Rashomon” retelling of reality.

He paces his film patiently, complementing the action with sound effects such as the tap of typewriter keys and the music of Dario Marianelli, even taking minutes to do one impressive single take that studies the beach at Dunkirk.

Most impressive, he doesn’t compromise the ending. Though he gives us both fantasy and reality, it is the reality in which “Atonement” is steeped – even if fantasy softens the blow.

In the end, “Atonement” is an impressive film. One whose attributes, clearly enough, are far beyond the talents of the average trailer maker to capture.

Below: Keira Knightley, shown here at the premier of “Atonement,” plays opposite James McAvoy in the literary adaptation. Has anyone noticed that Knightley seems physically incapable of closing her mouth completely?

Associated Press