speed of dark

I only occasionally mention movies or books here, but I saw a movie last weekend that fits the Time Travel theme because it bounces back and forth in time, beginning around 1935 and ending up about forty years later. Atonement may not appeal to those who don't like British period films, but anyone who sticks with it will be rewarded by a gripping story. I think when awards get handed out, this movie will be in line for some.

In the center of the plot are two sisters, the older one, Cecilia, played by Keira Knightley, living in upper-class comfort in the English countryside before Germany's invasion of France. If you've only seen Knightley play second banana to Johnny Depp in those pirate movies, it may surprise you to see how good she is when she has better material. The younger sister, Briony, is played at various ages by three excellent actresses, the last being the redoubtable Vanessa Redgrave.

Briony, who judges herself a serious writer even at 13, is blessed with an imagination beyond her years but not the experience or understanding to match it. She is so focused on what she thinks is a dangerous relationship between her sister and their housekeeper's handsome and upwardly-mobile son Robbie (James McAvoy) that she misses completely the deception her slightly older cousin Lola is peddling. Briony's misinterpretation of two crucial scenes between Cecilia and Robbie, puts all three of them on a path into a nightmarish future none could have imagined. Briony spends the rest of the movie trying to atone for her disastrous mistake.

Two Corona typewriters are also characters in the film. One of them is the intrument of a message, containing a shocking word, that was never meant to be sent or read. The strident tapping of the other, Briony's, provides a staccato percussion track driving the visual storyline and echoing characters' purposeful footsteps.

Dario Marianelli: Briony from the Atonement soundtrack [Buy] [iTunes]

The following songs are not in the soundtrack, but if you have seen the movie, you'll understand why I chose them.

Kaki King: Doing the Wrong Thing from Legs to Make Us Longer (2004) [Amazon] [iTunes]

Burial: Forgive from Burial (2006) [Amazon] [iTunes] [eMusic]

Japancakes: Theme For a Film from Belmondo: Bliss Out V.19 (2002) [Amazon] [iTunes]

See the full cast of characters, photos, and a review at the Internet Movie Database for Atonement, but avoid any spoilers before you've seen the film, especially the Wikipedia article on this movie.