Oscar-worthy films are always a strange lot. Some are blockbusters, but others emerge and vanish only to appear again on the star-studded awards night, to the applause of thousands. These are the myths we constantly hear about but can never find, calling us to places we had almost forgotten -- quiet, retro theaters, small venues desperately in need of renovation, yet still retaining their old charm.

Joe Wright's war romance Atonement opened as a limited release from the UK, and fulfilled this unwritten code, but that alone does not explain why the film is leading this year's Golden Globe nominations. As the story continues to wow American audiences, it is evident that Atonement's forte lies chiefly in its artistry, both of picture and character.

First, however, the film has to pass a certain litmus test. Before Wright brought Atonement to the screen, Ian McEwan brought it to the world as an award-winning novel. While the verdict on Atonement novel vs. Atonement film is somewhat subjective, one thing is certain: The adaptation never loses sight of the original blueprint. Atonement the film expertly navigates a maze of literary conventions, flashbacks, dream sequences, and fantasies, in a way that reveals just how hard it is to distinguish between man's version of reality and reality itself.

Atonement is the story of Cecilia Tallis (Keira Knightley) and Robbie Turner (James McAvoy), two ill-fated lovers thrust into the midst of World War II when Robbie is wrongfully accused of rape. Knightley shines as the passionate, yet mature British heiress, proving that even without the help of a mega film franchise, she can more than hold her own. McAvoy displays his versatility, coming full circle from the innocence of Narnia to the tortured lead in Last King of Scotland, back to a role that calls for a little of both. Robbie's passion for Cecilia is pervasive and tangible, though many of their scenes, and much of their lives, are separate.

Structurally speaking, Atonement is like an ellipse, because while the romance saga focuses on Robbie and Cecilia, there must be a second focus, and this comes in the form of Briony Tallis. Some have argued that, in the novel, Briony is really the chief character, being both protagonist and antagonist (her false testimony leads to Robbie's arrest). Likewise, in the film, Briony stands out as the only character played by not one, not two, but three actresses. Though Vanessa Redgrave, Romola Garai, and Saoirse Ronan all portray Briony at different stages of her life, it is during her first scenes, which are also the first scenes of the film, where the definitive Briony appears. Rather than exploring the maturation of a lonely, selfish 13-year old girl, the film rests on an outstanding performance by Saoirse Ronan as young Briony, and lets the others to imitate it. While Ronan's characterization would understandably tempt any connoisseur of authentic acting (not quite an oxymoron), the result is that the older Brionys pale in comparison with the younger. Luckily, however, they also pale in comparison with Atonement's stunning cinematography, which becomes almost a character in itself.

Near the end of the film, Robbie reaches an army camp on the coast of France. What follows is a moment of cinematic brilliance, a stunning continuous shot as the soldiers discover the horrors of their new base, and search for hope amid the wreckage. Largely, this scene represents the goal of the film. Far from being a standard, angsty romance, Atonement seeks to define that point of no return, where there is no more life in the debris, no more right to undo wrong. In doing so, it concludes that forgiveness and redemption, however desperately one wants them, are sometimes unattainable.
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