“Atonement (2007)” Movie Review, (I hope @jabo saw this film)

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Watching this film made me think of @jabo because it partly dealt with the beginning of World War II and the British expedition to France to stop to stop the German army advance. Thousands of British soldiers end up on the beach at Dunkirk and @Jabo has written of how her soldier father marched for days to get there and be rescued by a fleet of ships and boats from England. The film was nominated for Best Picture (2007). The film opens in a Downton Abbey style house and family, updated to 1935. An adolescent girl, Brioney. played by a luminous eyed young 13 year old Saoirse Ronan (from the film “Brooklyn”) has a crush on the son of a kitchen servant, Robbie, played by James McAVoy, who helps with the gardening on the estate, though he was educated through the largesse of the estate family. The young girl sees something sexual between Robbie, and her older sister, played by Keira Knightley, who have realized a passionate love for each other. Then one of the children visiting the estate is raped at night and left in the woods. She is found and survives but young Brioney is sure that Robbie was the rapist and says so. Her accusation serves to change the lives of several people, her own included. The film is a drama set against the backdrop of World War II and is a great story. I have kept the plot details to a minimum here. It is very detailed. This one gets five stars from me.