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Film Review
Ethical dilemmas on a screen near you
Oscar-nominated movies take on moral issues
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nominees for this year’s Oscars Jan. 22 — including the five films nominated for Best Picture. Two of those films in particular, “Atonement” (Focus) and “Juno” (Fox Searchlight), take on important moral issues.
“Atonement” is noteworthy for its treatment of penance, a concept rarely present in popular feature films. Plotlines often focus on revenge and retribution, but seldom give time to repentance, much less the concept of penance, which requires one to “do something more to make amends for the sin” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1459).
The film, directed by Joe Wright, begins in the English countryside at the Tallis family manor. As the eldest brother Leon arrives home with a friend, his sisters Cecelia (Keira Knightley) and Briony (Saorise Ronan), a 13-year-old, prepare to greet him.
Briony is a fledgling writer secretly in love with Robbie (James McAvoy), the son of the family cook who attends Cambridge with Cecelia. Jealous of the budding romance between Cecilia and Robbie, Briony falsely accuses young man of an attempting to rape her.
Robbie is sent to prison, Cecilia disowns her family to pursue her newfound love for Robbie and Briony is left to reflect on how her false charge altered the lives of her family members.
While “Atonement” focuses on the love story between Robbie and Cecilia, the film is driven by the energy of Briony, a dark character plagued by the guilt that follows her deception.
Briony tries to write the story of what she did throughout the film, which ends with her as an old woman who has finally been able to put the extent of her mistake into words.
Played by Vanessa Redgrave, the deep guilt the character still feels, long after the deaths of Cecilia and Robbie, is stunning. The weight of her decision is one Briony has carried with her throughout her entire life.
There is little to find fault with in this masterful adaptation of a moving novel — disturbing in its portrayal of the harsh reality of sin. Sin is present in the lives of every human, and continues to grow, affecting the lives of every person near the sinner — a frightening message, with a saddening truth vividly illustrated in “Atonement.”
Pro-life?
“Juno” is about a high school-aged girl, played by Ellen Page, who gets pregnant and decides to give the baby up for adoption to a family of her choice. While the film enjoyed nearly unanimous praise from film critics across the country, the moral outlook of the film has met a more varied response.
The film is a clever, refreshing comedy sharply acted by Page as Juno and her onscreen boyfriend Paulie Bleeker, played by an equally talented Michael Cera. The comic timing is impeccable and the film prominently features the baby in Juno’s womb as a human with a right to birth.
However, the “pro-life” aspects of the film are put in sharp contrast with film’s general acceptance of teenage sexual promiscuity.
Early on, a high school student protesting in front of an abortion clinic convinces Juno to carry her child to term (she tells Juno that her unborn child already has fingernails). Another one of the film’s strengths is its portrayal of how a child from an unwanted pregnancy can bring joy to adoptive parents.
But Juno, at one point, says her unborn child resembles “a sea monkey.” She uses generally irreverent terms for her child throughout the film.
This is likely a realistic portrayal of how a sarcastic 16-year-old girl would cope with pregnancy, but it convolutes the message nonetheless.
All that said, “Juno” is a fantastic film. More than likely, it will not win in the Best Picture Oscar category. That it is nominated at all, though, is a testament to the film’s quality and originality.
Hilarious and sincere, “Juno” is a sharp film with many positive moral messages. But it should be viewed as entertainment, not as part of a moral education.
Rebecca Bostic is a regular contributor to The Catholic Sun. Comments are welcome. Send e-mail to letters@catholicsun.org.
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