Atonement is director Joe Wright's follow-up to his rousing adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Atonement is a novel that book and movie industry insiders speculated would never be made into a movie given the introspection and perception in the story.
The word atonement refers to making amends or a reparation. And there is no more appropriate title for this film. We often talk about atoning for improper things that we've done. But the word has more profound theological meanings as well. It refers to the redemptive life and death of Christ, which leads to salvation and the reestablishment of the relationship between God and those who sin. People of faith and those who do not proclaim Christ as Lord and Savior may seek atonement in a variety of ways. And it is one woman's decades-long search for atonement that becomes much of the focus of this film.
Atonement's themes of love, loss, forgiveness, redemption, and atonement resonate with viewers long after the closing credits. The film challenges viewers to consider the following questions: How long does it take to be forgiven? Does time heal all wounds? Are there certain things we must do to ensure that we are forgiven? Are some sins simply unforgivable?