Atonement

I saw Atonement last night, even though I had seen a trailer months ago and thought it looked pretty sappy. However, it exceeded my expectations. It had some clever twists and turns, and some mystery to it.

For an 'epic love story,' the two lovers (James McAvoy and Kierra Knightley) were rarely in the same scene, but the separate stories going on made it more than just a romance film. It is a war movie, and a story about betrayal and regret. It was told well, and though it was at times confusing, the plot eventually clarified itself.

While I found the final scenes somewhat bizarre, I am unable to think of another way to tell the ending that would create the same effect on the audience.

The movie did have a little bit of humor despite the somber trailer I had seen. I don't want to say much about the plot, but I am glad I saw it.

On Sunday this film won two Golden Globes for Best Drama and Best Original Score. The film failed to win in the five other categories it was nominated for, which were Best Actress (Knightley), Best Actor (McAvory), Best Director, Best Supporting Actress (Saoirse Ronan) and Best Screenplay.