Atonement... yikes

Submitted by dietpepsiforlife t3_zxylxg in movies

So I've had this movie on my watch list for awhile until finally I was in the mood to watch drama/romance and OMG this wasn't what I expected. I'm probably biased but I was like half doubting Robbie's capacity to get to Cecelia with that injury but he did and then boom THEY ARE BOTH DEAD and there you have stupid immature condescending Briony who ruined absolutely EVERYTHING and felt entitled to give her sister and Robbie a happy ending that she robed of them in the first place for lying and misinterpreting their whole relationship. Safe to say I was very upset as the credits rolled. Am I the only one who feels betrayed?

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GroupAccomplished641 t1_j23yzrd wrote

I think part of the message was that it was impossible to atone for what she did and the fiction was a failed attempt. You had a very legitimate reaction to a gut punch of a film, but I don’t think it’s a failure of the story. It’s supposed to be frustrating and bitter

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Estaca-Brown t1_j24byzy wrote

The first time I saw it I actually started thinking "oh come on, don't tell me they're going to give us some sugary sweet happy ending?" and then it abruptly cuts to Vanessa Redgrave giving that insanely amazing speech about her last book and it all makes sense and then I ended up feeling devastated because they didn't give us the sugary sweet happy ending.

Very effective.

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DarkColdFusion t1_j25vks8 wrote

Yeah, it really delivered. By the time you're in the last act, you're rooting for them, even if you should know better. And you get that impossible moment, and then it's taken from you, and you feel it. Something that's very hard to do with cynical movie goers like myself who have seen it all.

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MasqureMan t1_j24kjk4 wrote

Yeah, by the time Briony wanted to atone, it was too late. I finally saw this movie like 4 years ago and I was very impressed

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DolphinDarko t1_j23aoff wrote

I read the book, at the end I was flummoxed, couldn’t process. Had to reread, so pissed!!!!! Knightly, McAvoy, Ronan were perfection. The green dress deserves all the accolades as well.

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farmerben02 t1_j24ij9t wrote

I loved the book but my goodness, was it a tough read. Many of the characters are unredeemable and leaves you feeling like you felt when Schindler's List ended. Loss of faith in humanity and just wanting to drink until you pass out.

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Shibby-Pibby t1_j2511g5 wrote

Idk the end scene of Schindlers List when all the people he had rescued were placing rocks on his grave was touching. Showed that even in a world of unredeemable evil, there are good people out there

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DolphinDarko t1_j25cup7 wrote

I agree! He saved all those people and their future generations. Very uplifting.

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KayakerMel t1_j257waf wrote

When I read the book, I didn't put the dates together and I didn't realize it meant that they never had the time together (reading too quickly and it went over my head). The shock of that revelation in the film hit doubly hard, having missed it the first time.

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QuantumSupremacist t1_j249p2t wrote

I had to reread as well! Missed the part that they both died, but life isn't fair - boohoo

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KayakerMel t1_j2582kl wrote

That happened to me - I didn't realize the dates of their deaths meant that they didn't have any further time together. In my case, seeing the film later on made that even more of a gut punch.

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Fogdrog t1_j23y40f wrote

I saw this in the theater knowing nothing of the story. It wrecked me. I've never seen a better portrayal of suffering than what James McAvoy did in that film.

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intheNIGHTintheDARK t1_j2341e3 wrote

I liked it a lot, book was good too. Sometimes stories don’t end the way we want them to but that doesn’t make it a bad movie.

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dmelt01 t1_j275k99 wrote

I also think this one hit closer to reality than what people liked. We often don’t get to atone for despicable mistakes. I thought this was a brilliant film. I love the films that make you truly think and reflect after watching.

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intheNIGHTintheDARK t1_j27a194 wrote

Yep. Her blatant lie basically ruined two lives. And if her sister had married him they would probably have gone on a different path and potentially not have been killed. Especially for her.

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Varekai79 t1_j244x51 wrote

I can still remember watching Atonement in a theatre in 2007 and having that feeling of a sledgehammer hitting my stomach when the twist is revealed. It's just utterly devastating.

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PurpleEdited t1_j23n9vo wrote

Briony kept the same haircut for 60+ years

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Debinthedez t1_j24cdt9 wrote

That freaked me out but it’s like she wanted to stay a young girl?? I think it was symbolic it can’t fathom why???

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Trala_la_la t1_j24kicc wrote

It’s symbolic in that she was still naive. She’s an old woman with a child’s haircut symbolizing her choices are childish. All those years and yet she thinks she can “give them a happy ending” it shows she grew, but not enough.

I personally always thought the actions were more motivated by jealousy than actual mistaken identity. That as a young girl she thought accusing Robbie would get him taken away from her sister but not ruin his life so thoroughly.

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Debinthedez t1_j299gyg wrote

Oh yes, she was definitely jealous. She was of course very young but at that age love, especially unrequited love if you like can be very powerful even when you’re very very young. I guess you would say now that she had a total crush on Robbie. And yes when her sister was with him and she saw them together, well that set off that chain of events didn’t it. Just tragic

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Garth_Kat t1_j236rrw wrote

I liked the movie a lot, but i don't think I'll be jumping at the next time to rewatch bcoz how the story unfolds. Both leads have excellent chemistry, Sairose Ronan is easy to root against and Benedict Cumberbatch played douchebag perfectly.

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travis_sk t1_j23p83m wrote

The movie is amazing and besides the romance/drama aspects also has one of the most realistic portrayals of war (although almost no action as far as I remember). I liked it a lot.

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trphilli t1_j23yv7c wrote

Yes, let the anger flow through you. Come to the dark side. I drop Atonement into lots of name a movie threads and it's been ~15 years. WS not a good date movie for all the reasons you losted.

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NumerousAppeal1621 t1_j23mbjt wrote

I was shocked as she declared that it was all fantasy but sympathised with her as I you can't blame someone for trying to correct a mistake from 60+ years ago

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Debinthedez t1_j24ct1a wrote

Yes but you can blame her for not rectifying the mistake as she got a little bit older, that’s the point. She had plenty of time to say something as she became a young woman and matured. . But she didn’t.

It’s just such a tragic movie, and the ending always gets me. The first time I saw it I had no idea, I went with my friend who had read the book so she knew so when you suddenly cut to Redgrave making that speech at the end I looked at my friend and went why didn’t you tell me, she said I didn’t want to spoil it. What a gut punch.

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GregoPDX t1_j27d63q wrote

She was still young at the early part of the war (Dunkirk), and Cumberbatch’s character had married the raped girl, so no one is going to believe her change of story. What’s done was done, there was no way to correct her bad choice.

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Debinthedez t1_j2991fx wrote

She had every opportunity to correct what she did because she lied, that’s the whole point of why people get upset because she had an opportunity as an adult to do something about it and she chose not to. That’s why she makes her speech at the end you know she knows that it’s her fault that all that crap happened and that’s her trying to get you know atonement but it’s never going to come for her. She’s literally trapped in that time, even having the same hair she never even changed her hair, because she can’t move on, she can’t get away from that time, it’s just tragic. I know what you’re saying about her age and I don’t mean that she had to say something when she was much younger but she could’ve said something afterwards, she could’ve done but she chose not to. Until the book. By then it was of course too late

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mzweffie t1_j24gnfq wrote

I have never hated a character as much as I hated briony. This movie crushed my soul

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The_Firmament t1_j24i87n wrote

I love Atonement, I think I ended up including it in 2 school essays I did! I respect their handling of the bait and switch, it didn't feel cliché, it felt earned by that point with all the couple had been through. I lost it when I realized Robbie's last words are actually, "you won't hear another word from me," or something along those lines (it's been a while since I've seen it, tbh). McAvoy is so damn good in this and I believe it was Ronan's debut, or certainly what put her on the map, so great for being so young!

It is absolutely a gut-puncher, but that's how you're supposed to feel, ya know? So I'd say it did its job successfully even though it made ya feel like shit, lol. I'm not sure if you liked it or ended thinking it was a cruel cop-out?

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MinorThreat4182 t1_j23j8nn wrote

I definitely pissed me off, but I guess that’s the point that life’s not fair sometimes. But I do remember thinking I’ll never watch it again.

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awyastark t1_j265q56 wrote

For years I couldn’t figure out why I had a visceral hatred of Benedict Cumberbatch. Rewatched this movie not long ago and realized that I must have seen it, internalized his character before seeing him in anything else, and unknowingly projected this role onto him. Great film, a real gut punch.

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TurnipMountain6162 t1_j2518t5 wrote

I can’t watch it past the scene where they haul off McAvoy after the dinner … it’s just too dang sad and upsetting

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Superb-Possibility-9 t1_j267kgg wrote

Sairose was so effective at playing this character it took me a few years to forgive her for how awful her character was.

She’s a brilliant actress

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take7pieces t1_j25cmdi wrote

I don’t care, I still want a silly happy ending movie staring Keira Knightly and James McAvoy.

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pbenji t1_j24olft wrote

I love the movie. That was a great kick in the balls at the end. May have cried

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Precariousme183 t1_j25ut1o wrote

This movie and book have plagued my brain for YEARS.

The movie (to me) is unreal in each and every aspect...the casting (James FUCKING McAvoy), costumes(Green dress mention again!!!!!), acting, sets, the way it's filmed it's all absolutely breathtaking. It's one of those movies that drags you through a crazy spectrum of emotions and leaves you feeling totally frustrated and broken for these fictional people and it WILL stick with you. 100% what I choose when I want a good cry right next to the Titanic.

​

PS. If you enjoy reading and liked this kind of twist check out the book We Were Liars.

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Josuff9 t1_j25s9ky wrote

The first act, at the manor house in the heat of summer… pure joy in the cinematography.

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Fart_Summoner t1_j26lf0k wrote

The Dunkirk scene was shot so beautifully & then the score that went to that scene.. there are no words

Maybe 1 of my top 3 movie scenes of all times

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smurfgrl417 t1_j24yydl wrote

Oh. This movie lives rent free in my head. Grrr motherfucker grr.

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knightboatsolvecrime t1_j25b89x wrote

I mean yeah, the novel is about the nature of fiction and the author's relationship with narratives that intertwine truth and fiction. You are supposed to feel betrayed and question if giving a fictional happy ending actually suffices the reality she took away. I personally love that betrayal.

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periwinkle_cupcake t1_j25bnsu wrote

I remember thinking how improbable the happy ending was…and then it was.

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Leslesser t1_j24yo3q wrote

Hopes and dreams , loves and losses…this movie above all else shows us that the human experience is all about what is , what could’ve been and what should’ve been.

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staffsargent t1_j23xn4c wrote

I've tried to get through the book multiple times, and I just can't do it. I know it's a beloved novel, so I'm sure I'm just missing something, but the characters and writing style are just so annoying to me.

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gonzagylot00 t1_j24q6zj wrote

I read the book, and I think the whole point is that there is no atonement for what she did, even though the mistake wasn't even that bad, but the results were.

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lee_ann_g t1_j25nza7 wrote

My favorite movie…. And I love all of it. The cast, like other people mentioned- that green dress, the hopeful feeling and then the devastation. But, I like sad movies, so an ending like that doesn’t turn me off. It’s just so beautifully done.

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drladybug t1_j26efw1 wrote

i LOVE atonement, but if it had been presented to me as a sweet romance then i'd have been mad too. definitely an example of expectations leading to disappointment.

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210upthemountain t1_j26fdqx wrote

I loved it but I've never been able to bring myself to watch it again. Too sad

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TheHip41 t1_j26zout wrote

Now read the book. So good.

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yasdinl t1_j26kzcx wrote

Late to the party here, but I rank Atonement as my objective favorite movie because of what many have said below. Acting, cinematography, gut-wrenching and emotionally complex plot. But it’s not a movie that’ll leave you feeling good. You’re right about that. Briony was a child who made what seemed to her to be a small lie that ruined multiple lives. It’s devastating and beautiful and shows the power behind honesty.

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Desdemona1231 t1_j26s529 wrote

I wanted to jump off a bridge after the end of that movie it was so depressing.

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Griever08 t1_j2730f6 wrote

It hurts the first time watching/reading it but it makes total sense and is better the second time for it

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Soggy_Garlic5226 t1_j273v5j wrote

I love this movie but I haven't seen this in years. I remember years later that they ran into each other in London for a minute right? Was that real or no?

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dietpepsiforlife OP t1_j27fonz wrote

Yes, that was real! What followed wasn't. They never saw each other again after that afternoon.

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careyeb8 t1_j277ktt wrote

I couldn’t stand Saoirse Ronan in films for a long while afterwards, I was so upset with Briony (no fault of Saoirse’s except good acting)

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mel8198 t1_j27j7l5 wrote

I’m STILL salty about the ending. I couldn’t watch it again if you paid me. I’m a life-long peacemaker and people pleaser, without a violent bone in my body, but I wanted to slap the taste out of Briony’s mouth!

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rhyde11 t1_j27m7ja wrote

Oh yes. I love both Keira Knightley and James McAvoy, but I just can't rewatch this movie. That movie hurt me! Don't want to experience that again.

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lincolnhawk t1_j27q02x wrote

We studied atonement in one of my film classes as an adaptation. Fuuuuuuck. It’s an effective adaptation, though. The book also makes you go ‘Fuuuuuuck.’

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eveningsand14-1311 t1_j29eqiq wrote

Same. I hated that the story was just all in Briony's head! It broke my heart when I found out the ending, that they actually never got the chance to be together. I hate her character!

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alexi_lupin t1_j2d69ji wrote

I saw this at an advance screening when it came out cos I'm a huge James McAvoy fan. I remember in the car afterwards when my Dad came to pick me up (was too young for licence) and he's like "Was it good? Did you enjoy it?" and I was just sitting there in like, stunned silence. Like...yes, it was good. Did I *enjoy* it? uhhhhhhh...I...yes? It...hurt me.

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suzer2017 t1_j2d9tc0 wrote

This film is a who's who of British actors. I thought Ms. Knightly, however, was spectacular. Ms. Ronan...wonderful...made me hate her and not pity the old version trying to atone for a terrible act of hateful jealous sabotage.

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supercalafraga t1_j246dnk wrote

That is the one movie that the ending pissed me off enough I won't watch it again.

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imaginarywaffleiron t1_j273kxk wrote

Years ago, a friend of mine was given this film as a gift for Christmas. We decided to watch it after Christmas dinner. BIG MISTAKE.

That was the first time I was angry I had watched something. Such a waste of time.

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CKM5253 t1_j264nfa wrote

I so disliked this movie. It was a pretentious piece of prattle.

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superfeds t1_j2306zj wrote

It’s one of the movies I saw, thoughtfully nodded when it was over, and then promptly forgot about.

It felt like someone read a bunch of Nicholas Sparks novels and was a big M Night fan.

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junglespycamp t1_j23vuxa wrote

The difference is that Atonement is playing with the unreliable narrator concept not just doing a twist ending It does work better in the book because it’s first person narrated throughout.

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