Atonement

James McAvoy and Keira Knightley in "Atonement" (Credit: Alex Bailey/Focus)

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In 1935 England, the love between wealthy Cecilia (Keira Knightley) and not-so-wealthy Robbie (James McAvoy) is interrupted when Cecilia's jealous younger sister and budding writer Briony (Saoirse Ronan) accuses Robbie of a crime he didn't commit. Years later, after Robbie has been imprisoned and shipped off to war, the lovers long to recapture their romance, and Briony struggles to right her wrong.

Big question: Can director Joe Wright adapt Ian McEwan's novel to replicate the lush period sensibility and critical acclaim of his last movie, "Pride and Prejudice"?

Catch it: What could have become overly sentimental (the presence of Celine Dion songs would not have been surprising, time period notwithstanding) instead proves to be a love story with an unusually strong depth of feeling. It's a sweeping epic in the non-annoying, non-boring kind of way, about the difference between perception and the truth, and the worst sort of injuries your heart can suffer without going to war.

Skip it: If you agree with Cecilia's relative who believes hot weather loosens morals. Hey, don't blame Mother Nature just because two people have a jones in their bones!

Bottom line: Though "Atonement" never rises to greatness and loses some steam in the middle, there's plenty of well-seasoned yearning and beautifully rendered landscapes to push past the moments when an otherwise excitingly painful movie becomes too delicate. McAvoy, Knightley and newcomer Ronan are all superb in a tale that reminds us how few chances we all have at love, and that we don't need anyone else but ourselves to screw it up.

Bonus: One of Cecilia's young cousins insists, "Being in plays is just showing off." Now you know how to identify someone who's born to be a TV actor!

mpais@tribune.com

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