excellent story- great acting- superb ending!

Rating: 9/10 (3 December 2007)

I went to the screening of Atonement with a friend happy enough to see a free movie and not expecting much- Actually I am also not a big Keira Knightley fan neither so clearly I was just happy to be out of the snow and watch whatever was being shown.
Atonement is set through 30s and 40s (mainly WWII) and revolves around the romance of the young Cecilia Tallis and the family up keeper Robbie Turner. Through a series of candid, naive and finally unfortunate events Robbie is accused of a heinous crime at the hands of the little Briory- Cecilia's little sister. The way this storyline and the plot are revealed and expressed was very original and effective in understanding what Briory sees and what actually happens. It is a perfect example how things aren't always what they seem, and makes one debate how much kids understand things and how reliable or guilty should they be of certain crimes.
At any rate, needless to say, Robbie and Cecilia are separated, Robbie is set to prison then war, families are torn apart and as Briory grows older she begins to realize not only the consequences of her actions, but also why she did what she did which is just as important. I do not want to reveal how the movie concludes and what happens to Cecilia, Robbie and Briory because the ending of the movie was for me the best part of this film- despite how tragic or unfavorable it may be, it was very original and moving.
The actress playing little Briory was very good compared to the one portraying the older one, and I was even more mesmerized by Keira Knightley whose performance is (do I dare to say it) truly Oscar worthy. She should stay away from Pirates of the Caribbean and silly movies like that and show her true talent in movies of a higher caliber. I was also very impressed with the visuals, the backtracking of the scenes and the storyline and the acting.
Overall, I highly recommend this movie!