Every year there is that one film that gets so much Oscar buzz I can't help but reject it before I even see it. I call it the "too good to be any good" movie of the year. Most of the time, I'm right and the film just doesn't deserve the amount of praise it gets. But every so often, the "too good to be any good" movie of choice is actually really fucking good and I end up eating my words.
When I first started seeing ads for Atonement and learned it was another costume drama collaboration between director Joe Wright and actress Keira Knightley, I didn't get too excited right away. Sure, I loved Pride and Prejudice. However, I don't usually enjoy period pictures because they tend to have this kind of 'tough times with a candy center' thing about them that I really can't relate to. In other words, life is difficult for the characters for awhile but by the end, everything turns out peachy. While some may enjoy these romantic, Austenesque worlds, I prefer the cynical and gritty realism you're more likely to find in a Dennis Lehane or Jay McInerney novel.
That's exactly why Atonement threw me for such a loop. Here is a film that suggests it's going to keep you comfortable and safe within the confines of a wealthy 1930s English countryside estate, but it only takes a few minutes to realize that the backdrop is completely irrelevant. I mean, it might as well have been 21st century Las Vegas. People are selfish, foulmouthed, lustful, and unforgiving, and by the end it's nearly impossible to find a silver lining in the whole, sordid mess. And that's what is so great about the film. It was refreshing to see the way Atonement totally flipped the period picture on its head.
So maybe I'm not doing such a great job of selling this film to all of you hopeless romantics and eternal optimists. But to those of you out there let me assure you, the film transcends its pessimistic material. Atonement is a fantastic cinematic experience because while it is brutal and hard on the psyche, it is also very intoxicating and pleasurable for the senses. Here is an edited clip from my favorite scene in the film that I think really illustrates this.
So, unabashedly morose films may not be everyone's cup of tea. However, when these films have stunning cinematography, unconventional editing, and haunting soundtracks, how can you not be completely smitten with them? Yes, we live in a cruel world but we also don't live in a world as bewitching as the one in Atonement and that's why I am recommending it to cynics AND romantics alike.
I suspect the film will continue steamrolling its way through awards season but now I don't have to shudder and think, here's yet another costume drama getting acclaim simply because it's a costume drama. Perhaps I thought that way at one point, but now that I've seen the film, I know its secret. Atonement is not 'too good to be any good'. It's better.
3 comments:
like the picture!
I haven't seen it yet but I can't wait to see this movie; I'm a huge fan of period films and Kiera Knightly in them. I agree with your view on period films; about life being difficult and ending up "peachy". In reality, these stories would not have really have these outcomes. Pride and Prejudice for example, sure she fell in love and married the richest man in town, and would be "taken care of" for the rest of her life, but what kind of world was that for a woman to live in? Also, have you ever seen Marie Attoinette with Kirsten Dunst (Sofia Coppola)? They end the movie before "the shit hit the fan" so to speak. If you know the real story of Marie Antoinette, you know what I'm takling about. They really do romanticize certain things in period films and forget about the terrible things that happened like disease, and death from childbirth, etc...Anyways, I still love period films but I also like to read about history and see what it was really like back then. It would be interesting to see a period film from a different perspective... :)
Yes, if you're into period films but not so into the over-the-top romanticizing of them then I think you'll really enjoy Atonement. I agree about Marie Antoinette and although I liked that film a lot, things did get wrapped up before the trouble really began for her. With Atonement, you get real people struggling with real human emotions and even though that can be depressing, it's always a better film experience when the filmmakers are honest and straightforward with you about how life really is. I hope you get to see it soon!
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