Atonement

Meagen Tajalle

Atonement is one of those rare novel adaptations that is extraordinarily cinematic. The richness of the characters and the depth of the world they inhabit both signal a weighty source material, but the film is expertly adapted in that it emulates the spirit of the book and evokes the same emotions through a different narrative medium without employing a novelistic approach.

Hannah Benson

I remember rewatching this film after reading the book for a class in high school. Saoirse Ronan's Performance is great as young Briony. Keira Knightley and James McAvoy are both great too. The film represents the book well by keeping the first part from Young Briony's point of view. Keira Knightley's green dress still stands out in my memory of favorite costume choices.

Kelsey Thomas

An emotional watch that really immerses you in the world of the characters and the many consequences of their actions, beginning and ending — rightly so — with Briony’s perspective. The weight that our words carry, even as children, follows us into adulthood, as this film makes tragically clear. How can you right a wrong when you don’t even realize it’s a wrong until it’s too late? Statements, especially of the accusatory sort, cannot be retracted so easily, a powerful realization that stuck with me as it stuck to Briony.

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