Atonement the Danger of Jealousy

 

            Atonement directed by Joe Wright, a director best know for Pride and Prejudice, tells a story of jealousy that is over shadowed by a compelling love story; it takes place mainly in London before during and after World War II.  Main character Cecilia played by Keira Knightly, better know as the love interest of William Turner in Disney’s, Pirates of the Caribbean, plays an upper class girl who finds herself madley in love with a servant with whom she has grown up with.  The love interest Robbie Turner is played by James McAvoy.  McAvoy most recently played a starring role in the acclaimed Last King of Scotland.  Briony, the sister of Cecilia, played by Saoirse Ronan, wrongfully accuses McAvoy’s character of rape because of jealousy in turn he has to go to war.  Cecilia and Robbie long to be together but tragically both die before they can reunite.  Briony becomes an author and tells the story as she is dying.

            Atonement on the surface is a love story, however the plot is driven by jealousy.  The director does a very good job of hinting at the feeling.  Briony is a rich girl who is shown as very intelligent who has a great passion for writing.  Robbie works at her home the two have a friendly relationship.  At one point we find that he has read all of her plays.  The first sign of jealousy is in a scene where Cecilia, Briony’s sister, takes off her dress and jumps into a fountain.  Briony doesn’t see everything and assumes more than was there.  Soon after this Robbie writes a letter to apologize for dropping the vase in the fountain, the real reason Cecilia took her dress off.  Robbie gives the wrong letter to Briony to give to Cecilia, the letter is very vulgar.  She reads it, at this point one can see Briony has feelings for Robbie.  Cecilia gets the letter and realizes that she has feelings for Robbie and the two proceed to make love in a library.  Briony walks in on the two.  It is clear the hurt in her face in seeing the two in the library.

            After this the viewer sees a very tense dinner in which everyone has to leave to find two young boys who had run away.  During the search Briony sees a friend, whom she had previously told about Robbie’s letter, she was being raped.  Briony says that she saw Robbie doing it, she and the girl both know this is false.  Briony tells the police Robbie did it.  In a great scene showing the true character of Robbie, he returns much later than anyone else with one boy on his shoulder and the other holding his hand.  Robbie is then taken away by the police.  As he is being driven away there is a very emotional scene with is mother trying to stop the police.

            In a flash back later in the movie Briony jumps into the water, to see if Robbie will save her, this is the proof that Briony has deep feelings for Robbie.  One also sees a discussion in which Briony says she has never been in love but had a crush on Robbie, this is done in such a way that one knows it was more than a crush.  Briony’s jealousy lead her to do terrible things, because she could not have Robbie than her sister couldn’t either.  This movie is a great example of how powerful jealousy can be and is conveyed exceptionally.