The film "Atonement", after reading the whole film, the writers and directors seem to be cautious. They may not have no ambitions, but maybe because of the psychological description of the novel that is not easy to visualize, they pay more attention to the complete expression of the story. The main emotion is fully demonstrated in the space of an hour. Then the movie abandons the narration that may be closer to the expression of the novel, and tells a story by means of plot, action, shape, expression, etc. What connects the whole story effectively is the rhythm. It can even be said that the sense of rhythm is the soul of this movie.
The novel's chapter is divided into three parts plus an epilogue, and the film follows this structure exactly. The psychological description of the first part is the most delicate and subtle, and the information is too rich, so a considerable part of the relationship between the characters that do not seem to be so important is cut off in the film. The psychological change process is just a simple scene, a few shots, the pressing sound of typing, the music of the same rhythm, and the fast-talking dialogue, it seems urgent and panic, rushing us to stop and keep running forward. , we can't even take a break to think about what happened. This makes the scene of Robbie and Xi (Cecilia) in front of the fountain, the shock, jealousy and hatred in the heart of the little girl Briony come hastily and not enough force. Before the dinner, Qian repeatedly changed clothes in the room and saw a different self in the mirror. It was an important process for her inner self-consciousness to change from chaos to clarity. It is a pity that this episode was deleted.
Robbie's Battlefield chapter has been heavily adapted. The shame that his identity as a criminal made him unable to be an innocent and upright person, the cruelty of the battlefield, the easy loss of life, and the difficulty in realizing love and life were the main reasons why Robbie could not let go of Briony. But this atmosphere was diluted, and a huge black and white love movie scene was set up, and a motherly old woman washed his feet. I think the writers and directors probably hoped to express the love of Robbie and Akane that was not fully reflected in the previous paragraph, emphasizing He must live, and his obsession with reuniting with Cecilia hints at the later tragic outcome. This adaptation is clearly subordinate to the needs of the plot. This kind of setting is a bit too warm and soft, making Robbie's anger when he confronts Briony not stressful enough. This passage is like the second movement of many symphonies, with a slow rhythm and a strong contrast to the first part.
When the grown-up Briony showed up, it really took me by surprise. Then the reflection in the glass window is like the nun in the picture frame, a contemplative, gloomy nun figure, which unveils the curtain of her redemption. This image is so beautiful, and although it is fleeting, it is the scene that fascinates me the most in the movie. Just behind Briony, as always, was the same tense typing, which was so oppressive that I couldn't breathe. I think of the panicky opening paragraph, maybe it is the sprouting of the restless teenagers, and the writers and directors intend to use it to cover all psychological descriptions. In adult Briony, it goes from budding to repressive, the so-called heaviness of atonement.
But why would Knightley be playing Cecilia? Akane's hairstyle should be casual and not so deliberately groomed, her hair shouldn't be so curly, it should be slightly straight to show the crispness and firmness of her personality, she doesn't need such big and full of surprise eyes, her eyes should be calm Fierce, with a storm-like passion deep inside. The actor is too weak, his manners are too exaggerated, and his gait is somewhat vulgar. So it seems to me that she can't show the love that Qian has for Robbie.
The novel states that when Briony first experienced wartime disability care, she "learned a simple truth: man, after all, is a material being, easily damaged but not easily repaired". I think its subtext is: in the final analysis, human beings are an emotional being, easily damaged but not easily repaired.
It is said that the ancient man, consecrated to the gods, was not permitted to trample on it, and that even the one who violated the rules out of ignorance became an atonement from the moment of trampling the holy place, and until he had accomplished the proper act of atonement, he would The god who enforces this rule has infinite mana and is invisible to the naked eye.
Briony's atonement is ultimately for her own heart, and no one can replace it. Whether or not you can be redeemed is entirely up to you. Everyone else in need of atonement, the almost comic couple who raped and then married, and Briony's parents, who wouldn't, wouldn't, or wouldn't face it when the truth came out, they run away rather than trying to recover. So Briony's guilt is also heavier because of their inaction. However, these related characters in the movie only passed one scene, and they left the scene immediately after receiving the appearance fee, which has nothing to do with the theme. Maybe the choreographers are too lack of courage, if they do it all over again, I'd rather they add half an hour.
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