Don't see this film. No, seriously, I mean it. Deft direction, breathtaking cinematography, an exciting and evocative score and adroit acting do little to compensate for the fact that Ian McEwan's 'Atonement' is essentially an unflinchingly tragic tale devoid of any redemption.

Okay, fine — jump on the Oscar bandwagon, go and see it for its cinematographic glory and metafictional twists — but remember, you’ve been warned.

Set in England in 1935, the film opens with the purposeful rat-a-tat-tat of 13-year-old Briony Tallis' (Saoirse Ronan) typewriter. The young author is also the author of the tale that is about to unfold before our eyes and the one who is forced to bear the burden of atonement.

A child of privilege, Briony's literary ambitions are indulged and her distinction between reality and the fantastic is somewhat blurred. As such, the fanciful young adolescent misinterprets the blossoming romance between her sister Cecilia (Keira Knightley) and the housekeeper's Cambridge-educated son Robbie Turner (James McAvoy) as something far more sinister.

A series of unfortunate events leads to a lie which irrevocably changes the lives of these two young lovers and Briony forever.

In the second half, the pace of the film changes completely. The narrative jumps five years and lazy sun-filled afternoons at the country estate are replaced with battle scenes at Dunkirk. Robbie is stuck fighting in France and his faithful Cecilia, estranged from her family, is working as a nurse in London. Briony (now Romola Garai) having finally grasped the full weight of the consequences of her actions attempts, unsuccessfully, to put things right.

Direction by Joe Wright ('Pride and Prejudice') is indeed deft and nuanced, if a little showy in some of the war scenes, and screenwriter Christopher Hampton has done a good job adapting the respected novel for film. Intelligent touches include the repetition of certain scenes from different perspectives and the artful juggling of time sequences.

Cinematographer Seamus McGarvey creates a brilliant contrast between the sun and nostalgia-soaked scenes of the first half and the gritty war scenes of the second. Throughout the cinematography is beautiful with fine attention to detail and cleverly framed images. However, the film would be infinitely poorer without the gripping score by Dario Marianelli, which carries the rat-a-tat-tat motif of the typewriter for the length of the film.

James Mc Avoy — as always — has a firm grip on his character and even the usually-pouting Knightley gives a convincing performance. However the accolades should really go to the trio — Ronan, Garai and later Vanessa Redgrave — who take on the complex and slightly awkward character of Briony Tallis.

All that being said, I stand by my earlier assertion — don't watch it… it'll only end in tears.