There are movies that make you laugh, there are movies that make you cry. And then there are movies that tug at your heart and take you on a journey.This one is of that type. It will haunt in such a way that at many points in life you will ask "am I/he/she is being Briony?" The brilliance of this movie doesnt lie in its story but in the execution. In Kite Runner the narrator lies because he cant live with his cowardice. Briony has other reasons, some culpable, some not. In fact when the revelation hits you speechless, you almost ask’what more now." And the director(hats off to him) keeps dishing out more.
The love story is one of the most memorable I have seen. I could not stop myself from replaying the very last scenes of Cee and Robbie on the beach.(to say anymore would give away some of the surprises). Their love/passion is the focus of the story- how it is denied, accepted, misinterpreted, ostracized and banished.Yet it burns stronger than ever in their hearts and you share their hopes and sorrows. The joy of seeing each other again, Robbie running after Cee’s bus.Cee calling him back.it will touch you, torment you, haunt you.
The green dress worn by Keira Knightley has been voted as the best ever in a movie by the InStyle *magazine. I loved the dress, but whether it deserves to be on top is a tough call. Anyway the movie got various, including Oscar, nominations for its costume and design. To me *Jodha Akbar had equally good if not better designs.
At some point or the other we all lie. And some of them have consequences- dire, irreversible consequences. They affect our lives and that of the others. When a young girl, used to living in a fantasy world tells a lie that changes, rather destroys three lives- who is responsible? Surely the girl has a responsibility but what of all the adults around her? Cee keeps calling her an unreliable witness, what about others? why dont they ask the twins where did Robbie find them? A thousand ways to refute Briony and exonerate Robbie but none happens. The class/money gap makes it easy to blame Robbie. No one, even for once suspects the real culprit for he is too rich to be do *such a thing.
Keira Knightley is wonderful as the instinctive yet sensitive Cecilia. She looks ravishing and delivers a mature performance. James McAvoy is yummy, I was too busy looking at him to think of his acting;). Sairose Ronan as the young Briony is superb and deserves her Oscar nomination as actress in a supporting role. Romola Gorai is good too but Vanessa Redgrave as the aging Briony is simply the best. She conveys the trauma of carrying a lifelong guilt effortlessly.
Direction by Joe Wright and screenplay by Christopher Hampton hooks you from the opening shots to the end. You have to have to know what happened? The clever devices of flashbacks and shifting perspectives speak volumes of the duo’s genius. The emotional subtleties are laid bare with long lingering close-ups that trace every flicker of feeling-Ronan’s luminous blue eyes clouding over with righteous gravity; the tremors of hurt and anger and love in McEvoy’s sensitive face; the defiant jut of Knightley’s jaw as it melts into tender affection. The artistry is sorely missed in the latter half of the movie when you feel good is mundane. Some might find the length to be a drag. You have seen great storytelling and want more of it. Though there has been a lot of talk about the long shot at the Dunkirk capturing the despair of World war II, it was not the hight point of the film.
Tips: The film has some profanity as well as nudity. It is definitely not advisable for young children.
There are no light moments in the movie so it might seem too serious at times.
Trivia:
This movie is an adaptation of Ian McEwan’s novel of the same name and was considered’unfilmable’.
Knightley starred in Joe Wright’s previous movie as well: Pride and Prejudice.
Joe Wright at 35, became the youngest director in history to have a film open the Venice Film Festival with this movie.
The movie got 7 Oscar nominations and won for the Original Music. It won BAFTA for Best Film among others.