“When you pickup a gun and shoot – the bullet moves both ways.” “Do you want forgiveness?” Kino Lorber has unveiled their official trailer for an emotional Iraq war drama titled simply Atonement, made by the American filmmaker Reed Van Dyk as his very first feature following other shorts. This actually premiered at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, but only in the sidebar Directors Fortnight section where it received mostly good reviews so far. It’s also playing at TIFF next this fall before it hits limited theaters starting in October. The film follows a troubled marine who seeks to reconcile with the survivors of an Iraqi family he and his unit fired on in 2003. Starring Boyd Holbrook, Kenneth Branagh, Hiam Abbass. Anchored by moving, unforgettable performances, Atonement is a powerfully human story about the immeasurable costs of war, exploring universal questions about guilt, redemption, and the nature of forgiveness. Reviews also state: “An intelligent and involving film that successfully questions Hollywood cliches of war drama, while drawing knowingly on that tradition.” This looks bleak but there’s apparently a hopeful thread found within.
Here’s the first official trailer for Reed Van Dyk’s war film Atonement, direct from KL’s YouTube:
Displaced from their home by US military action during the early days of the Iraq War, the Khachaturian family finds refuge with relatives, gathering their three generations together under one roof. But when another bombing erupts nearby, they decide to return to their home across the city. As they navigate the war-torn streets of Baghdad, the family is trapped in a firefight between U.S. Marines and insurgents, and one Marine’s split-second decision devastates the family. Years later, haunted by his time in Iraq and aided by a New Yorker journalist, the Marine seeks to reconcile with the Khachaturian matriarch and her surviving family members. Atonement is both written & directed by American filmmaker Reed Van Dyk, making his first feature film after many short including the award-winning DeKalb Elementary. Based on the article by Dexter Filkins. Produced by Trevor White, Tim White, David M. Wulf, Reed Van Dyk, Steven Demmler. This initially premiered at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival in the Directors’ Fortnight sidebar. Kino Lorber releases Van Dyk’s Atonement film in select US theaters starting on October 2nd, 2026 in the fall.
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