‘Atonement’ Review: Emotionally Powerful Anti-War Film Shows That Bullets Fire Both Ways
'Atonement' is a deeply emotional anti-war film that focuses on the human cost of U.S. military actions in Iraq through the story of one family. Directed by Reed Van Dyk and inspired by a New Yorker article, the film centers on a Christian-Armenian Iraqi woman, Mariam, portrayed with quiet strength by Hiam Abbass. The narrative emphasizes intimate family dynamics and the lasting trauma of violence, avoiding battlefield spectacle in favor of psychological depth.
- ▪The film is based on Dexter Filkins’ 2012 New Yorker article 'Atonement After Iraq.'
- ▪It centers on Mariam Khachaturian, a Christian-Armenian Iraqi woman and former teacher, played by Hiam Abbass.
- ▪The story unfolds around a deadly incident in Baghdad’s Baladiyat district on April 8, 2003.
- ▪The film avoids traditional warzone depictions, focusing instead on the emotional aftermath of violence.
- ▪Hiam Abbass delivers a powerful performance that anchors the film’s emotional weight.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
For his feature debut, American director Reed Van Dyk adapts Dexter Filkins’ New Yorker article, “Atonement After Iraq” published in 2012. This intimate and psychologically astute portrait of the human cost of U.S. imperial violence draws a precise focus from what cinema is built for: putting us in a character’s skin. This is a war film less ordinary, for it is imbued with the emotional acuity of a life-changing therapist. Following the lead of Filkins’ source material (“I remember reading this piece because I cried all the way through it,” Van Dyk told the audience at a Directors’ Fortnight screening) “Atonement” is not interested in establishing a warzone by showing peripheral acts of violence.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at IndieWire.
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