Fully Atoned

Michael Lewis

Atonement has just opened in Oz. The word, in my context, immediately makes me think of Yom Kippur. Regardless, I read your column and when I found out that my wife with our close and thinking (snobbish for more intellectual than our other) friends had booked seats, I feared the worst. I had not read the book and had no idea what the story was about. We all thoroughly enjoyed the 2 hours. Kneightly's wooden style fitted in with our preconceived stereotype of someone from her class at that time, the Lawrence like echoes of introduction to the houekeeper's son, the pre DNA criminal convictions of that period and then the Dunkirk etc scenes, infused with the surreal aspects, already set by the unannounced flash backs and rewinds from earlier in the story. And finally, which you would have missed, the last segment of the Atonementee, where you are told that whole, satisfying, sections of the story - those which showed - the 2 wronged protaganists, getting together and snatching their delayed happiness didn't happen - we are unsure whether in full or just the last bits. We left, entertained, intrigued, not scoffing at stupidities - like those of Clive Owen in the latest QE1 and not the slightest bit bored. We felt that we had been totally captured by the film. PS I saw the Kneightly P & P and disliked her portrayal but she seemed spot-on in this movie.