In ‘Atonement,’ a Reckoning With the Iraq War

The new film “Atonement” tackles the Iraq War and forgiveness, and with American troops completing their final exit from the country this week after another military campaign, its release couldn’t be timelier. The solemn drama’s premiere in theaters offers a chance for viewers to revisit the conflict that began in 2003 through the fictionalized version of a real incident that ended in three civilian deaths. Not to be confused with the 2007 movie based on the Ian McEwan bestseller, the latest feature entitled “Atonement” is inspired by a 2012 article in The New Yorker by respected war reporter Dexter Filkins. In the early days of the war, Mr. Filkins was a journalist with The New York Times and covered the aftermath of an incident in which a Marine battalion fired on three vehicles occupied by the Hachaturian family during a skirmish with forces loyal to Saddam Hussein. Years later, he wrote about a meeting between one of the American troops and surviving family members. This encounter serves as a latent plot driver, in which the main characters converge in a quiet, sustained climax, as well as the film’s primary inquiry into the idea of atonement, which is defined as both expiation and a reconciliation with God in opening on-screen text. The first thirty minutes take us back to 2003, intertwining the lives of the Hachaturian family, who are Christian, with those of a regiment patrolling a Baghdad suburb before, during, and after the incident. First-time feature film director Reed Van Dyk, who also wrote the screenplay, takes care to show the ordinary nature of the extended family’s life, with a crying baby present, a still unmarried twenty-something son, and a matriarch cooking and cleaning. Wife and mother Mariam, husband and father James, sons Eddie and Nicky, and daughter Nora make up the central family, and we find out how they’re living with an aunt in the heart of the city due to bombings and clashes where they normally reside. Soon, though, bombs are dropped on their present location as well, precipitating a mad dash by the extended family to the home of James and Mariam on the city’s outskirts, which they believe to be safer now. This is the neighborhood the Marines are securing, and its residents greet them variously — with caution, with welcome and, in some cases, with complaints about shortages of water and electricity. But a battle with unidentified Iraqi assailants breaks out at a roundabout the Hachaturians must pass on their way home. In the confusion of the firefight, the troops shoot at the family’s vehicles, killing Mariam’s husband and two sons and injuring her daughter’s arm. Mariam’s baby grandson survives but when the Marines see that an infant was on board and that they are not hostiles, their combativeness, confident bluster, and sense of honor become more muted. Later, when interviewed by reporter Michael Reid (a fictional stand-in for Mr. Filkins), one Marine explains how they lost three of their own and an unknown number of Iraqis during the encounter, though another, Lou, casts doubt on the civilian casualties.In the first act, the director ably captures the chaos of war without sacrificing coherence or the emotional shock afterwards. This aftermath leads into a more unsteady second act, which takes place ten years later and follows the dishonorably discharged Lou in San Diego as his life falls apart through drug use, disillusionment with the Marine Corps, and apparent PTSD after eight deployments. We’re also given a look at Michael’s personal life, and despite Kenneth Branagh’s subtle performance, one questions these scenes’ relevance as they only slow down the film and delay the portrayal of Mariam’s post-war life. It may be that with the acclaimed British thespian’s participation, Mr. Van Dyk felt compelled to beef up the role beyond a mostly observational presence. This extraneous material also reflects the occasional obviousness, even banality, of the dialogue, as well as the script’s avoidance of the politics behind the war beyond a few stray, indirect lines.As Lou, Boyd Holbrook (“Narcos”) must portray a man experiencing a protracted anxiety attack after the war, and the actor convincingly plays haggard and haunted while still conveying the character’s semblance of normalcy. Resembling a young Tim Robbins, Mr. Holbrook also exhibits the latter’s manchild qualities of earnestness and sensitivity, traits that are put to good use when Lou cleans up his life and reaches out to Michael so that the journalist can broker a meeting with Mariam and Nora, who now reside in California. Hiam Abbass in ‘Atonement’ courtesy of Kino Lorber.Mr. Van Dyk’s narrative is a prime example of how stories derive meaning from their ending. Bringing the chaos of the beginning and the second act’s various threads, such as a veteran support group, to a nexus point, the director has Lou and Michael visit Mariam’s home, where she lives with her daughter, son-in-law, and two grandsons. The former military man seeks face-to-face forgiveness, guessing that he may have been one of those who killed the Hachaturian men. Uncomfortable with the idea, the matriarch nevertheless agrees, and this third act is primarily where French Palestinian actress Hiam Abbass forges a performance of immense power.Ms. Abbass is astoundingly nuanced as Mariam. In her eyes, one glimpses both wells of pain and founts of patience, and in the repose of her face, both uncomfortable resignation and steely anger. Her characterization stands as a moving portrait of grief and loss, and yet it never sentimentalizes the long-term effects of war, lending the overall picture the emotional intelligence and grace it clearly aspires to in its measured pace and tone and sometimes achieves without her. Through the actress, Mr. Van Dyk’s film potently explores the psychological, philosophical, and spiritual implications of its title, with questions that resonate not just with the Iraqi conflict but the wreckage of all wars.

In ‘Atonement,’ a Reckoning With the Iraq War

In ‘Atonement,’ a Reckoning With the Iraq War

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