6. Atonement (2007) – Directed by Joe Wright
The plot: In this novel by Ian McEwan, Briony Tallis, an aspiring writer, makes a terrible, terrible mistake that alters the lives of her sister, Celia and her lover, Robbie. She blames him for a crime he did not commit and tears him away from Celia, when he has to choose between a life-long sentence in prison or joining the army. Will Robbie and Celia ever find their way back to each other? And will Briony every find forgiveness?
Why the adaptation works: It does not happen very often that the adaptation is sometimes better than the adapted material. In case of Joe Wright’s interpretation of Atonement, it does. Every shot is like a delicate painting, as epic and beautiful and dramatic as the story McEwan wrote in his dry narrative. With “Atonement,” it seems Wright has outdone the master.
“Atonement” was nominated for at least seven Academy Awards, and won for Best Original Score. Dario Marianelli created one of the best adaptation soundtracks of all time. He weaves the sound of a typewriter into the orchestral score, thereby referencing to one of the most important motives in the book: the note that Robbie writes on his typewriter, the note that caused Briony to blame him for a horrible crime he never committed.
