Rated PG13

Directed by Julian Jarrold

Starring Emma Thompson, Michael Gambon, Matthew Goode, Ben Whishaw, Hayley Atwell

Heidi’s Illustrious Rating: 4.5

Word of Warning: There is one fairly tame sex scene.

As we were leaving the theater, we overheard a young woman on a cell phone noisily claiming that this movie was a blatant rip off of “Atonement.” For those youngsters out there who didn’t pay attention in college lit, “Brideshead Revisited” is based on the book by Evelyn Waugh, which he wrote in 1945.  “Atonement” is based on Ian McEwan’s novel written in 2001. There are some cinematographic similarities between the two movies and the stories are set in the same time period, but “Brideshead” is no rip off of “Atonement.”

Set in the years prior to WWII, the plot revolves on Charles Ryder (Matthew Goode), a young middleclass Englishman attending Oxford who becomes friends with Sebastian Flyte (Ben Whishaw), a student from a wealthy aristocratic family. Sebastian becomes enamored with Charles, who in turn becomes enamored with Sebastian’s wealthy family and all the perks their wealth provides.

There has been ongoing debate over whether Waugh’s depiction of Sebastian has homosexual undertones. There is strong evidence to suggest Waugh actually intended the relationship between the two characters to be a boyish infatuation, not sexual in nature and indeed there is no direct reference in the novel to homosexuality. Regardless of what the author intended, Hollywood has written Sebastian as an openly gay character who struggles to cope with his homosexuality and his strong faith in the Catholic Church.

As Charles becomes more and more entwined with Sebastian’s family, he also becomes a player in the families’ internal strife. Lady Marchmain (Emma Thompson) is the family’s powerful matriarch who is a strict and pious Catholic. She has raised her children to follow in the way of the Church and yet Sebastian disappoints her at every turn. Her daughter Julia is the good child, always trying to please her mother.

The movie takes an intimate look at an evolving England; the time of the aristocrats is coming to an end and war is knocking at the door. A cultural transformation is on the near horizon and its approach is bringing into question the stability of everything the characters believe in.

This isn’t a love story, as the previews seemed to allude, but rather a story of obsession and guilt: obsession for a person, for God and for a lifestyle. It is a study in how obsession and guilt can alter our lives in unexpected ways. It is also the study of how faith can play an intrinsic part in our lives, not only culturally but also psychologically, even when we don’t acknowledge or realize its presence.

“Brideshead Revisited” is a well-made, thought-provoking movie deserving of the acclaim it will surely receive at the Academy Awards. Emma Thompson’s performance is already getting Oscar chatter and I think the screenwriters should be nominated for best adaptation. With the addition of a gay character, once again Hollywood has added their particular angle to this novel, and some will find this displeasing. It was certainly unnecessary, but I do not believe it takes away from the overall theme of the movie and in fact, is suitably intertwined into the fabric of the story.

**Also appearing in the Berthoud Weekly Surveyor.