Grand story of romantic love. Not to be missed.

Rating: 8/10 (19 March 2008)

Joe Wright directs this beautiful story based on the Ian McEwan novel. Thirteen year old Briony Tallis(Saoirse Ronan)often stands at the window of her family's enormous mansion and lets her vivid imagination breed ideas. Its 1935, and this dubious young girl of privilege and wealth sees herself a fledgling writer. She thinks grandiose and drama. On a hot summer day, she thinks she sees something between her sister Cecila(Keira Knightley)and Robbie(James McAvoy), the son of the estate's grounds keeper. Her crush on Robbie and jealousy drives her to accuse him of a salacious crime he did not commit. To reduce jail time, the young man will choose the military during wartime. Briony for years will be haunted by the irrevocable harm she caused her beautiful sister and the man she begs to come back to her. She wants to confess her horrible lie; it won't come until she is ready to publish her 21st novel entitled ATONEMENT. The scenery is as lavish as it is at times harsh. Knightley is so ravishing, she can carry this two hour movie through its dismal moments. The finale finds the veteran actress Vanessa Redgrave playing Briony and this sequence will make your chest cave in and breathing almost stop. There may even be a tear or two as you try to swallow with a throat dry as attic dust. In time this movie will prove to be a classic. The cast also features: Romola Gari, Benedict Cumberbatch, Juno Temple, Julia West and Patrick Kennedy.