The villainous origins of Saoirse Ronan

Saoirse Ronan is probably one of those actresses whom studios, fellow professionals, and even movie-loving audiences trust so much that they have been counting down the days for years for the young actress to win the Academy Award. Her talent is undeniable, every role she takes on is memorable, and most importantly, she has never been seduced by blockbusters to build her prolific artistic career. The public has loved every performance she has given, and nothing would be more fitting than for her to receive the grand prize because every performance she´s given has been loved—well, except for one role, probably, the one that made her famous.

This American actress with Irish roots rose to fame in the mid-2000s as a teenager when she joined the cast of an ambitious film production, Atonement (2007), which gained much notoriety during awards season and was hailed as an achievement for adapting a novel that was considered very difficult to bring to the big screen. Comparisons with other talented child actresses such as Dakota Fanning began to emerge, and studios began to take notice of her. The rest is history, but it should be noted that, almost twenty years after that film, the role in this film is one of the least considered when defining the actress's career, not because that performance pales in comparison to what she would show later, because Atonement is on par with the best work she has done as an adult, but because Briony Tallis is by far the least beloved character in her filmography.

A young girl playing a very serious role

Many child actors end up becoming famous for playing likable characters. Macaulay Culkin made an entire generation laugh with Home Alone (1990); the aforementioned Dakota Fanning made more serious and adult films as a child, but her characters were usually sweet and endearing. I don't know how mature Saoirse Ronan was when she starred in Atonement, but she showed the world that a girl her age could play a despicable and reprehensible character covered with the ambiguity of puberty's naivety and a family's good name. If there is a film that can explain why not bearing false witness or telling lies is one of the Ten Commandments in the Bible, Atonement is the example you´re looking for.

Atonement is about the misfortunes of two lovers due to the prejudices of a wealthy family and the jealousy of a young girl. Young man Robbie Turner (James McAvoy) works for the Tallis family, winning the affection of Cecilia (Keira Knightley), but also attracting the attention of her younger sister, Briony. It should be noted that, for better or worse, Briony is the true protagonist of this story because, although we are constantly focused on what happens to the suffering couple, it is Briony's actions that define the events of the film, and it´s her point of view that prevails over the rest.

Atonement was Saoirse Ronan's golden opportunity to shine because, even though she wasn't the only actress in the cast to play Briony, as we later see her at different moments in her adult life, played by Romola Garay and Vanessa Redgrave (in that order), Ronan is the one who carries out the most crucial part of the film. And even though the other actresses show other nuances of Briony, it´s that reckless and slanderous thirteen-year-old girl who is etched in our memory throughout the film, and who occasionally reappears in flashbacks. The film wouldn´t be the same without Saoirse's performance; it was a very psychologically demanding role, and she nails it.

The disastrous consequences of a lie

Ronan stands out in two key moments in the first act. First, when she spies on Cecilia and Robbie, as she has done before, but on this occasion she catches them in the act of having sex in a private place. Seeing a teenager in the act of voyeurism would be considered more humorous in films other than Atonement, but Saoirse brings a magnetism that allows us to sense her envy, curiosity, and amazement, resulting in a scene that, far from feeling pleasant, is viewed with tension and even discomfort.

The other scene is where the character already achieves a level of aversion among the audience but manages to elevate Saoirse Ronan's performance to new heights of acting, surprising even more given her limited experience at the time. Briony witnesses her cousin Lola being sexually assaulted by a man in the Tallis garden, and after the man flees, Briony convinces her to blame Robbie for the crime. With the naturalness of a sociopath, she also convinces her parents that her girlfriend's secret lover is responsible for the incident, resulting in his unjust imprisonment.

Atonement is a heartbreaking story in itself. What follows after the first act is a film within a film where Briony imagines Robbie and her own sister enduring the hardships of World War II, reuniting to rekindle their relationship, and then she confronts them to confess the truth, including the identity of Lola's real rapist; only to realize in the last ten minutes of the film that this is a fiction invented by Briony herself, who poured her guilt into a novel she wrote to give Cecilia and Robbie the “happily ever after” they never had because of her. This broke the audience's hearts, with many who have seen it vowing never to watch it again because it´s a story where the villains get away with it (you are also to blame, Benedict Cumberbatch) and the lovers never reunited and tragically died without knowing each other´s fate. And all because Briony believed in her head that Robbie should´ve been hers.

One of the strongest debuts in movie acting

Joe Wright's direction of the film helps to enhance Ronan's performance. Wright, who has an exquisite command of photography and lighting, manages to give the young girl's face an aura of maturity and mystery, highlighting her pale complexion and well-executed facial expressions, especially her piercing eyes, creating moments where they reveal what the character is thinking. All this effort earned Saoirse her first Oscar nomination, launching her prolific career.

Something else I consider an achievement for her was standing out in a film starring Keira Knightley herself. Boy, do you have any idea how huge and sought-after Keira Knightley was in 2007, after conquering the world with Pride & Prejudice (also directed by Wright) and the original Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy? Only Scarlett Johansson, Emma Watson, and Brittany Murphy (before her unexpected death) were on par with her in terms of popularity among young actresses. But people ended up talking more about Saoirse Ronan than Keira Knightley once they saw Atonement. This girl's bright future had opened up in a way that, even today, seems to have no ceiling.

To this day, there is still debate as to whether Briony Tallis acted maliciously or had misinterpreted things regarding the false testimony that destroyed Robbie Turner's life. Her story undoubtedly highlights the risk of false accusations, especially those of a sexual nature. And Saoirse Ronan's convincing performance really made the difference in bringing such a difficult role to life. She may be one of the most tragic and detestable characters the public will ever know, but she was also the starting point for one of the best actresses of this generation. We may dislike Briony, but even she cannot make us stop respecting Saoirse's talent.