Atonement is the best (read: fav) film I’ve seen this year.

I’ve come to savour these somewhat rare, tiny defining moments of realization during which, everything feels so reassuringly succint; last year it was after watching Henckel von Donnersmarck’s The Lives of Others, and in 2005 Toni Takitani ( whose director Ichikawa Jun unfortunately passed away earlier this year. )

Based on the novel by British writer Ian McEwan and directed by Joe Wright ( who also helmed the classy Pride and Prejudice ), Atonement narrates the life of Briony Tallis, a 13-year-old aspiring writer who, after witnessing an act of passion she was unable to understand, accuses her sister’s lover of a crime he did not commit, and sets into motion a trail of events that follows the three of them through the Second World war.

There is an astounding sequence in the film, (pictured above) masterful photographed and executed, where the SteadyCam follows James McAvoy in a long, uncut take as he wanders through Dunkirk Beach. ( quite a cinematic achievement, though the longest uninterrupted take in film history still belongs to Russian Ark, I believe. )

My paltry literary skills forbid me from penning an astute review of this film, but surely Roger Ebert’s writing ( or any other from the film’s page on IMDB ) can offer you some further insight into this beautifully woven and complex piece of cinema.

Before that of course, watch the film.

Anyone knows when they’ll release the Blu-ray for Atonement ?