Horrible pointless movie.

Rating: 1/10 (24 December 2011)

Spoilers!
The movie takes place just before WWII breaks out. WWII was HORRIBLE; Hitler, The Holocaust, lots of innocent people died. MY GOD! We can ALL agree that it was a really bad thing. So y in the HELL would these idiots write ANOTHER sad story ON TOP of all the HORRIBLENESS going on around them. IF Cecilia & Robbie had a HAPPY (as happy as u can get during this time) ending the movie would have been ACTUALLY good. But when they both die it just makes THE WHOLE THING POINTLESS!
The movie starts in a confusing way. We r following a little girl. We have no set up. Who is she? Why should I care? I hate movies that keep facts from us 2 "build mystery." It's only a mystery if u already told us all the facts and WE have not figured it out.
This little girl misinterprets events as sinister. Her sister, Cecelia, was having an argument with this Robbie guy. She jumped in a fountain & Robbie stared at her. Okay? How can this b sinister? The "lovemaking" scene in the library. How can this girl think this was rape? Cecelia was not fighting him, screaming, NOTHING! These non-sense making scenes r shown 2 ways in order 2 "explain" y this little girl thinks something bad happened. I wish Ricky Ricardo was present 2 say, "U've got some 'splaning 2 do!"
Also, the library scene drove me crazy! This house is shown 2 us at the start of the movie with Briony running though it. From this we know that it has MANY ROOMS. ROOMS with beds in them! ROOMS with LOCKS ON THE DOORS! But what room do they choose!?; THE LIBRARY! A place where ppl converge frequently! & THEY LEFT THE DOOR AJAR! What the %#@$!? These 2 ppl KNOW that there r small children in this house. So u'd think they would think; "What if they walked in?" No, no. They just seem 2 b complete idiots! When watching this particular scene I thought "Y did they not choose another room?" When u have wild crazy b00m b00m time & leave the door open someone will c u! Duh!
So then this little girl thinks she saw Robbie r@pe the other little girl & Robbie gets shipped off 2 war. Cecelia does LITTLE 2 save him. OK, this is supposed 2 b a romance movie. Hmm, Cecelia does not seem 2 care much when ALL she says in defense of Robbie is "I would not put much stock in what she says; she has a wild imagination." Something like that. Not even hysterically. She says it not even HALF-heartedly. But with indifference! INDIFFERENCE! sarcasm-Wow it MUST b love!-sarcasm Cecelia seems 2 half BELIEVE what Briony is saying! How can u <3 someone & even THINK that they r capable of SUCH evil!? Or how little do u know them?
I believe what the other reviewers said that this was not a romance movie but just an excuse 2 get certain shots. The backdrop was pretty. The outfits were very beautiful especially Cecelia's green dress! The point is; is that it's an empty movie.
It's so pointless cuz it's just senseless. There is no lesson 2 b learned. & most importantly NO atonement. U ruined 2 people's lives & u became a BEST SELLING author. THAT'S atonement!? Writing a FICTIONAL happy ending!? WTF!? It's like saying, "I shot a bunch of innocent people but I made a painting of them all happy & smiling that should make it alright." WOW! Just wow! I did not know that u could cram this much ignorance in2 1 movie!
Anyway u slice it; it's just pointless. What if Briony had not been "jealous" (cuz how can Briony even <3 Robbie if she is OK with him suffering?) & did not say Robbie raped that little girl? War would have still broken out. Would Robbie b in medical school? Would that have saved him from fighting? Not sure on British law at the time. But if there was a draft then he would have been screwed either way. What about Cecelia? Would she not have bcome a nurse 2 help out & b evacuated 2 the place where she drowned? What's the point of it all? At the end Briony said that she gave them the time they so desperately wanted. How much time was that? Cecelia & Robbie BOTH admit that THEY wasted a lot of time 2! So what they could of had a COUPLE of years of "good times" & then die horrible deaths? Is that all; time? That's all these 2 could have AT BEST? Wow how depressing.