A bigger one arrives in the form of World War II, and it is here, in the transition from hothouse psychodrama to historical pseudo-epic, that “Atonement” runs aground, losing dramatic coherence and intellectual focus. Romola Garai has taken over the role of Briony (in a coda, she will age gracefully into Vanessa Redgrave), who works as a nurse in London. Cecilia, now estranged from the family, does similar duty, and Robbie stumbles toward the beach at Dunkirk.

更大的悲剧是二次大战的到来，温室里的心理剧一晃成了历史性的伪史诗，《赎罪》也随之“搁浅”了，失却了其戏剧的连贯性和理解的关切点。Romola Garai开始饰演Briony（结尾部分由Vanessa Redgrave饰演），在伦敦做护士。疏远了家庭的Cecilia也从事护士工作，而此时Robbie正踉踉跄跄地朝敦刻尔克的海滩走去。