Acclaimed drama Atonement, starring Brenda Blethyn and a host of British stars is leaving BBC iPlayer very soon. The 2007 film, which is based on Ian McEwan’s 2001 novel of the same name, is available to watch for free on the streaming service for the next 19 days before it departs.
Set in the mid-1930s, Atonement sees Keira Knightley and James McAvoy portray lovers Cecilia Tallis and Robbie Turner, whose romance is abruptly and cruelly ended when Robbie is falsely accused of sexual assault.
The film’s all-star cast includes Blethyn as Robbie’s mother, Saoirse Ronan as Cecilia’s younger sister Briony, with Vanessa Redgrave playing the grown up Briony.
Benedict Cumberbatch, Daniel Mays, Juno Temple and Gina McKee also appear in supporting roles. Joe Wright, who previously directed Knightley in Pride & Prejudice, is at the helm, with Christopher Hampton penning the screenplay.
Atonement received numerous award upon its release, picking up Best Film at the BAFTAa and Best Drama Motion Picture at the Golden Globes. It also received seven Academy Award nominations.
On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an 83% Fresh rating based on 218 reviews, with MovieFreak.com simply writing “Atonement is perfect”.
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The Hollywood Reporter wrote that “Atonement ranks with the best novel adaptations of recent times,” while the Seattle Times added: “On paper and on screen, Atonement is a story of rare beauty, both wrenching and wise.”
New York Post‘s review read: “Director Joe Wright and screenwriter Christopher Hampton not only blow the Merchant-Ivory dust off the British period movie, they transform Ian McEwan’s interior novel into a sweeping epic that speaks to the 21st-century soul.”
The Deadbolt praised Wright, saying the director “didn’t just take a great book and turn it into a movie. He created visual poetry from beautiful prose”.
Atonement is streaming on BBC iPlayer.