Atonement

In the early days of the Iraq War, a U.S. Marine’s split-second decision devastates an Iraqi family. Years later, haunted by what happened, Lou D’Alessandro (Boyd Holbrook, Bikeriders, A Complete Unknown) seeks reconciliation with the family’s matriarch, Mariam (Hiam Abbass, Succession, Palestine '36), with the help of journalist Michael Reid (Kenneth Branagh, A Haunting in Venice, Oppenheimer), who first reported on the incident.

Based on a true story, Atonement is a deeply intelligent and respectful exploration of trauma, responsibility and forgiveness. Reed Van Dyk avoids easy answers or familiar war-film conventions, instead giving space to the civilians caught in the violence and to the profoundly human complexities of what follows. Boyd Holbrook brings extraordinary restraint and vulnerability to Lou, while Hiam Abbass gives Mariam a performance of remarkable emotional depth.

And then there is Kenneth Branagh, almost unrecognisable as the quietly determined journalist who brings these lives back together. A major star who seems to disappear completely into his character — understated, precise and utterly convincing.

Atonement is a moving, thoughtful film that treats an extraordinarily difficult subject with humanity and incredible emotional intelligence.

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