A Love That Endures All!

Rating: 10/10 (6 April 2008)

There are not enough words to describe how truly amazing this movie is! It was exceptional and most definitely one of the best movies I have ever seen. Every scene is breathtaking. The director really brought McEwan's words alive and stayed true to his story. You are taken into the mind of young Briony Tallis whose innocence, imagination and childhood fantasies changes the lives of everyone around her. With one simple lie, one small accusation, she destroys the lives of the two people she cares for the most. James McAvoy and Keira Knightley were in a league entirely of their own. Their performances as Robbie Turner and Cecilia Tallis were phenomenal. They had that spark and that chemistry that really make the movie what it is. But I must say that James McAvoy was both the lead role and star of the film. I love him in every movie he's ever been a part of! As an actor he possesses the talent and ability to invoke emotion in you from every scene. He can make you laugh one minute and cry the next. He is truly talented. Some of the most powerful scenes are when he is in the war just trying to make it back to the woman he loves and thinking about her every step of his journey. The scene where he comes across a field of dead school children and begins to cry was very moving. And then there's the scene where's he's just lying there at night looking at the picture of the cottage until the match goes out, wanting so much to be home there with her. That was another tear jerker! One of my favorite scenes too was right after Cecilia comes up from the water and grabs the broken vase out of his hand and he just watches her walk away and then he goes over to the fountain and lays his hand on top of the water, just to be close to her. That was another really beautiful scene. But what I loved the most was how much they both loved each other and all he wanted to do was just get back to her so that they could be together and I hate that they never got that chance. The ending truly shocked me. I really thought that everything was going to turn out the way it was supposed to and that Briony would change her testimony and he would finally be cleared of any shame or reproach that he suffered because of her. And I really thought they were going to get married and live happily ever after because they so rightly deserved a happy ending. Then come to find out that Briony never had the courage or the decency to go and see her sister that day to try and make things right. Her character irritated me so much, not just because she lied but because she was a coward and she ruined two people's lives without cause or reason. She could have fixed what she'd done but she chose not to. She only wrote that last book at the end because of her guilty conscience but even then what she did all those years ago was still unforgivable. Still, I'm glad that despite all the odds that were against them they got a chance to see each other that one time in the café, and despite it all they still loved each other all the same- maybe more even. However, even as evil as it sounds, I am glad that they both died in the end so that one didn't have to suffer all the pain and heartache alone and go through life without the other. I did like the very last scene too. It gave you a sense of closure and was exactly how it should really have been. All in all, "Atonement" is a love story and one that stands the test of time and endures a lie, the horrors of war and even death. It was heartbreaking, but then again most great love stories usually are.