The Unseen Toll of War: Atonement's Unflinching Gaze at the Aftermath The Iraq War has been a staple of cinematic depictions for nearly two decades, but its legacy extends far beyond the battlefields and patriotic rhetoric that often dominate these films.
Reed Van Dyk's feature debut, Atonement, is a rare exception in this regard – a film that confronts the complex relationships between veterans and civilians after the fighting has ceased.
Atonement is based on Dexter Filkins' New Yorker article about Second Lieutenant Lou D'Alessandro, who during a firefight in Iraq killed three Iraqi civilians.