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Robbie Turner: [voiceover] Dearest Cecilia, the story can resume. The one I had been planning on that evening walk. I can become again the man who once crossed the surrey park at dusk, in my best suit, swaggering on the promise of life. The man who, with the clarity of passion, made love to you in the library. The story can resume. I will return. Find you, love you, marry you and live without shame.
James Mcavoy: Robbie Turner
Keira Knightley: Cecilia Tallis
Saoirse Ronan: Briony Tallis(aged 13)
Romola Garai: Briony(aged 18)
Vanessa Redgrave: Older Briony
Fledgling writer Briony Tallis, as a 13-year-old, irrevocably changes the course of several lives when she accuses her older sister's lover of a crime he did not commit.
Based on the English novel by Ian McEwan.
A typical tragic, turbulent poignant love story that is augmented by a very well thought out story and technical and cinematic expertise in directing, editing and cinematography. Joe Wright captures it's edge.
If the audience did not read the book they might feel it is about a doomed love and how the lovers' would attempt to find each other after being forcefully parted, however, the story evolves, into a tale about the guilt and remorse of the one who disrupted the lovers' love and happiness. Her own naivety, immaturity, fear, and disappointment with her own attempts and wishes for passion, lead her to doom the happiness of the lovers and eventually severely regret her own actions.
There are some breath-taking scenes of grand proportions like the soldiers on the beach, the bustling towns, the gorgeous countryside. Costumes were perfect, as was the whole feel of the film. The soundtrack and piano playing tingling to the senses.
The progressive time-line is not linear. Futures occurrences happen before the past, a flipping back and forth, sometimes with a difference of several years other times only several minutes apart. This gave the movie an interesting perspective and made it more artistically enjoyable yet clear since flipping back and showing what lead up to the crucial occurrence clarified the plot. Also was good to see from firstly the couples viewpoint as well as the little girl.
Being a little slow, epic, and overly sentimental it will arouse romantics and annoy pragmatics.
The ending is heartfelt, heart wrenching and sentimental as she does what she can (incorporating into her life) to atone for her past act of a rippling mistake and indiscretion.
9/10
