So I had no idea what I was getting into (and I doubt the rest of the world did either). Don't get me wrong, this is a BEAUTIFUL film and extremely well made. The acting is superb, the costuming is fantastic, the cinematography is breathtaking and the art direction is amazing. But the story will rip your heart out then stomp it to a bloody pulp. Don't believe me? Go watch the movie! No, really, go watch the movie. I dare you.
I rarely, if ever, cry at movies whilst in the theatre (I bawl like a baby in my own room) but I will admit that my eyes were CRAZY watering when I saw this movie. Luckily I did go see it by myself because I do have my reputation for being a badass to uphold. There have only been a few movies in recent memory that have spurred such a reaction in me. The ones that come to mind are: Up (I was sniffling after the first 5 minutes) Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (the Mirror of Erised scene) 50/50 (oh, man, that's a great movie) and then this one. To say that this movie upset me is an understatment. It fuggin' traumatized me! You just want to strangle Briony so bad! She successfully ruins two people's lives by telling a massive lie that ultimately leads to their deaths. But the thing about this story is that you don't know what really became of the two lovers until the very end of the film. My friend Heather put it best, "Yay, they got together! PSYCH! They're actually dead."
Everything you see in the second act of the movie is all fiction but you don't know that until Briony reveals in an interview in the third act (as an elderly woman) that Cecilia and Robbie both died before they could ever reunite. It was total ballz. Then the last scene just killed me because Briony says that in her book she gives Cecilia and Robbie what they weren't able to have in life, their happiness (insert sob). This movie isn't a tear jerker, it's a tear extractor.
So you're probably wondering why I watched this movie again after being so devastated by it the first time I saw it. Well, again, it was completely out of my hands. See, my darling Benedict Cumberbatch has a very very small part in the film, one so small that I had no memory of him even being in the movie. And having seen the movie before and knowing how the story ends I thought, "I can watch this again. I can handle it!"
Nope.
Briony made me just as angry this time around and the ending was just as painful (if not more so). That very end scene on the beach caused a complete emotional breakdown because you want it to be real and being the hopeless romantic that I am I couldn't help but think, "I want that too." I want that kind of happiness. Le sigh...
Despite all of my bitching, I'd still recommend seeing this film. Like I said, it is a beautiful film. And Kiera Knightly is stunning as Cecelia (she's stunning in every movie she's in) and James McAvoy is absolutely brilliant (not to mention dreamy as hell). I had forgotten that Saoirse Ronan from "The Lovely Bones" played Briony and although you hate her character, her performance was also bloody brilliant. Too bad my Benedict had to play the perviest character in the film :(
In conclusion, I'd give "Atonement" four out of five pugs.
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