Atonement II

If I did get anything from a recent EB, it was a free lunch and Atonement.

He gushed about the film so much I thought he'd wet his pants. Anyway, he did trigger my interest on the film so I got a copy as soon as we finished dessert.

It was worth the lousy meet up.

There was I, tucked in my bed, thinking I just need a 15-minute preview of this film while I wait for my hair to dry. I started watching at 12:30 am. Finished at 2:30 and finally fell asleep before 3:30.

I guess this is how one watches this movie. Alone, with the lights off, and in total silence. If you cannot avoid watching it with someone else, just make sure he's not the kind of guy who always asks "ano na ang nangyari?" every 10 minutes.

It is not a movie that grabs you by the balls and keeps you riveted to the screen. Rather, it is a movie that eases you to your seat, makes you grab an extra pillow to hug and just lets you feel the love, longing, hope and repentance of the characters.

It builds the drama in a sure way. All throughout, it makes you wonder what happened, what really happened, and what will happen. It is drama without the tears and suspense without the fears.

If you are a sucker for romance, this one is also for you. "Find you. Love you. Marry you. And live without shame." (sigh!)

I am usually a book-before-movie person. But regardless of how faithful it is to the book, this film by itself provokes emotions that can render you speechless for a couple of minutes more while they flash the credits. And long after your hair dries.

But even if I didn't enjoy the film, it was still worth seeing James McAvoy transformed from this



to this



A long way from his Children of Dune days. Oh, and by the way, the British accent sometimes gets in the way. Thank God for subtitles!