Fun fact : in the movie, Briony had the same hairstyle throughout her life. It's like she fail to grow up from her past, mentally stunted, as her guilt eating her up.

My fav shot in the film is when Robbie gets arrested and his mother comes out wailing and attacking the police car screaming "Liars, liars!" And Briony is watching through a stained glass window of the virgin Mary. She is staring at the face of Mary, a mother who's son was falsely accused, beaten and tortured and ultimately killed for the sins of other people. Just like Robbie was stolen from his mother's safety, tortured through years of prison and war and ultimately died for the sins of everyone else. Not only that but Robbie never got to be with the woman he loved just like Jesus was never part of the church he was building. They both only had a few short moments with the loves of their lives before they both succumbed to the horrors of life. Such a beautiful poignant shot and the entire story plays out in just a few seconds of film. Masterful.

Saoirse should have won an Oscar for making us all hate a 13 year old girl😂

Here's the thing: she didn't make just one mistake. She woke up every single day and watched the people around her suffer until the war came and everyone suffered a little bit more. She waited until it's too late for her to atone. That's another mistake. It's just weird how the framing of that one pivotal scene encapsulates her. That's just not it. She chose. Every single waking moment until Robbie and Cecilia's death she chose to remain silent about it. Only then when she had gathered her lifelong quest to feel inspired did she attempt to make "amends". Briony's character deserves to live and die with her guilt. That's her punishment for her faults as a child. But she doesn't deserve anything more horrible than that. Marshall, on the other hand, deserves the chair.

I studied this book at uni and I always felt like the ending, finding out that Briony wrote the book was entirely self serving. As a child, okay I can forgive her up until she knew that it wasn’t Robbie, and then she still didn’t say anything. But writing the book and giving them their ‘happy ending’ who does that help? Who is she atoning to now? It just felt to me that she lived the rest of her life in guilt and (intentionally or not) it’s a way to try and make herself feel better or for readers to accept her at romance for the people she actually hurt.

Related: this movie is one of the few adaptations that remains almost 100% faithful to the novels AND is a standout movie in its own right (I studied both the film and novel in high school!)

After the movie ended, I sat in the dark for like an hour. Truly devastating. I don't know if I'll be able to sit through it again but I would love to rewatch it!

I think aside from what happened to lola, the greatest tragedy in this story is not the relationship between the two main characters, I felt sadder about robbie's promising future all his hardwork and potential went to waste, that's what left me feeling empty after watching the movie.

This movie ripped my heart out when I found out how things really went. I hated that the actual monster got away Scot free and Lola ended up married to her abuser. Just totally soul crushing. Idk, it's an interesting thing and the people whose place it is to forgive will never really know that moment of truth. A very sad story. Briony the child was confused, Briony the adult was a coward, but it is a good tale nonetheless.

I think if Cecilia explained that it wasn’t some forced act after Broiny saw them at the library, things could’ve been different. It always shocked me how both of them just walked through the door. Like??? Your 13 year old sister just witnessed something that can be pretty traumatic or something she could easily misunderstand and u just leave her be?? I think that showed just how little attention and recognition she got from her family. I’m not saying it’s Cecilia’s fault but better connection could’ve helped.

i just feel like briony wouldn't have had the opportunity to make such a terrible error, had marshall not committed such a terrible crime. to me, he's the true villain. all the vitriol 13 year old briony gets to this day is irritating to say the least, how could she extend empathy to others when that was never extended to her? i feel like her view of others was a reflection of how she was treated. never as a whole human being. maybe if that wasn't the case, she would not have jumped at the first opportunity to be heard. thank you for the very beautifully edited and thought out video :)

When I studied this movie in highschool I felt immensely sorry for Briony, and now as an adult I still feel the same way. Don't get me wrong, she's not likeable and what she did was terrible, but there are so many more factors to consider than just "she's a bad person". Like you said, it seems that these days we're so wrapped up in the idea of this person is "good" and this person is "bad" when that isn't true at all about literally anyone. Everyone is capable of great good and great evil. For Briony, she's only 13 years old, a child, and she's grown up in a very sheltered life with little to no actual human interaction, and it's clear that she's nuerodivergent. She's learnt everything that she knows about society from books and has had no teachings on how to actually understand people or interact with them. As a fellow nuerodivergent who, at the age of 13, basically acted like I was a 9-year-old, I can absolutely empathise with Briony's plight and with her subsequent reluctance to acknowledge the truth. She genuinely thought she was doing the right thing and was helping her sister - and her family were clearly just as terrible. Cecilia could have at ANY point gone and talked to Briony and told her what had happened with Robbie and cleared up the misunderstanding. Lola could have also at ANY point admitted that it wasn't Robbie. Briony's parents could have at ANY point stood up for him. Also, Paul Marshall could have just not acted as a disgusting paedophilic scumbag. But none of these things happened and the blame fell solely on a 13 year old girl. Also, bear in mind, that the consequences of her actions probabably wouldn't have really registered for quite a long time, which is why she didn't try to sort it out sooner. She might have understood that what she did was wrong, but thought that it would just be a few years in prison (and with such a sheltered upbringing she probably wouldn't have understood what that really meant anyway) and then he would be out and she could go apologise and everything would be fine. And she would never have known that the war would hit, or that it would go on his permanent record. As a nuerodivergent, it took me many years to truly understand some of the things I did at that age and why it was wrong, despite the fact that for most other people it would have been extremely obvious. Even now in my late 20s I have moments of realisation. Though of course I never inadvertently put someone in prison or anything lol. My point is that the movie is not meant to be black and white. None of the characters are particularly good people - not even Cecilia and Robbie, and none of their actions are completely just or "good". Except for Paul of course, he's a piece of crap. Does Briony deserve condemnation and dislike for what she did? Of course! But does she also deserve sympathy for being a product of her upbringing and never getting the help she needed? Absolutely. Anyway, this movie destroyed my soul and I wish I could watch it again but I just can't bring myself to do it!

Man I remember when I watched this thinking it would be a nice romance movie between Kira knightly and James mcavoy I was very wrong! Messed me up for days.

Ok, not to be a war history nerd, but we absolutely have to acknowledge both the beauty and the accuracy of the Dunkirk scene, as opposed to Christopher Nolan's, they did an excellent job recreating it. Incredibly powerful stuff. Edit: has anyone postulated that Briony was a bit neurodivergent?

"I gave them their happy ending." Gal, even at the very end she made it about her. 🤦‍♀️🙄

i still can't forgive briony and something that robbie says during the scene of them as adults stuck with me forever, when he says that no matter all his work and education, he was still no better than a servant, still not to be trusted. And that's the brutal truth, because robbie was the 'easy way out' in the whole mess, he was just the servant.

I cried in the theater when I saw this. I was floored that Robbie and Cecilia never saw each other again and after all that Briony lied again.

She doesn’t get to atone. Even after the deaths of her Sister & Robbie, there is no indication that she went on and confessed the truth to those who were present. She destroyed more than a couple’s happy chance of love & life-she stole her cousin’s truth and silenced her cousin and it seems that somehow the cousin’s SA was ongoing, she sat in the church and watched her cousin marry her abuser, she must’ve destroyed Robbie’s Mom as most likely she found herself unemployed after the incident either by choice or by force (I don’t see her continuing to work for the family) and possibly was forced to live on her own and dirt poor, it seems that Robbie’s Mom had an untimely death as well as she appears and seems that came to collect him. Atonement would’ve been her writing the letter-her telling the truth in honor of the the pain that so many involved went through. Telling the truth at 71 when her own parents are long gone, everyone most likely dead or about to die, and selling off another embellished story is nothing but a narcissist’s apology. She wanted to give herself that ending so that she could lift that guilt. But there are things in life that once we do them we cannot take back. It’s not me feeling self-righteous, but imaginary Robbie was right-you don’t have to be 18, 71, or 13 to know right from wrong.

I like the points raised in this video and can definitely empathize with Briony more now but I feel like you are missing a large portion of why she should feel guilty - yes their love story suffered, but who knows what would have happened with them anyway. The true crime is that she basically damned her cousin to the horror of marriage and life with her attacker through her choices.

I watch this when I was a teenager which was a big mistake because what teenager wants to see something with a sad ending lol Really grew to appreciate the nuances of this film. Saoirse Ronan has always been such a great actress

I forgive 13 year old Brioney... and I would also slap adult Brioney that still had not tried to correct her mistake ON THE STREET cold 😂

7:06 "I don't think I've ever read such a poetic description of _WAP_"

She refused to face the truth, even after it was too late. She couldn't, even as an adult, grasp the fact that sometimes acknowledging our actions and coming to terms with the results is all we can do to move on from a situation. I understand that she wanted to do what's right, but as someone who's also made many errors, sometimes there are things that can't be made right, where sorry just isn't enough and the fact that she gave them a happy ending just shows that she refused to accept that truth thus not even affording Cecilia, Robbie and Lola the decency of seeing that her actions had dire consequences. It's a beautiful and very accurate depiction of what cowards do when they can't face the fact that this time they can't say sorry.

Sorry, I’m siding with James MacAvoy. Yes, she was a child, but she still ruined several lives because of her arrogance and later cowardice. She had plenty of time (while Robbie was in jail, before he went to war) to think things over and come clean, but she didn’t. She could’ve visited her sister during wartime to apologize, but she didn’t. She could’ve stopped Lola from marrying her abuser. But she didn’t.

I remember when he screamed “briony” I started freaking out and when it showed her open it and read I was like OMG, that scene scared me to death for some reason lol

This film is pure Cinema on every level. A perfect masterpiece. I love the shot of the bee, as it signifies Briony being the bee who stings Robbie and Cecilia.

I think think is the first video I've seen that acknowledges and tackles the _full_ complexity and ambiguity of Briony's character and her actions in the story. Well done!

I’ve always felt that Briony becomes more guilty as time goes on. Childhood innocence gives way to adult paralysis gives way to elderly ego, with the consequences and guilt building with each passing day. At 13, she’s lived a privileged, isolated life; one that discourages female agency and sexuality. The idea that her sister took an active role in anything she saw, let alone enjoyed it, would not have occurred to her. She thought of Robbie as a rapist because that was the only context she had for sexuality, having literally never been exposed to any other option. She gets no blame as she is 13 and sheltered, having been let down by the adults around her. 18 year old Briony: ok, now there’s some blame. Now, she knows something of the world. She knows about desire, passion, and love. She knows Cecilia still loves Robbie and is devoted to him. She can look back and see what she didn’t know then- that sex can be consensual, and that Robbie having sex with Cecilia doesn’t mean he’s a sex fiend who raped Lola. Yet, she doesn’t say anything. Not ever, not even when Lola marries her rapist. She becomes guilty because now she knows better, but doesn’t do anything. Old Briony- definitely guilty. She’s been tormented by the consequences of her childhood naïveté for years, and not even the deaths of Robbie and Cecilia were enough to make her come forward. Instead, she keeps quiet, working it over in her head, wrapped up in her role rather than the right thing for decades, and when she does go public, it’s with a version that whitewashes the pain of Robbie and Cecilia having their life together cut short.

I saw this film shortly after it came out on dvd. I was a teenager, about Briony's age in the beginning of the story, and all I could think of was how a kid could be so in her own little world that she doesn't bother taking a second look. The film shaped me into someone who's been obsessed with broken couples who seek to find a way back to one another torn by circumstances of life, kind of like the idea of soul mates. It also made me develop a trait that forces me till this day to find out everyone's side of the story because there's three truths: person a's truth, person b's truth, and the actual truth (in this case 4 truths considering Briony). And lastly, it made me into someone who always weighs every decision with absolute caution because it could affect the lives of others. The ending broken my heart and I've watched the movie about 5 times. I haven't watched it since being a teen and now being in my late 20s I feel like I should revisit it once more. To me, she can never be forgiven. She had so many times to atone, apologize, take back what she did but she didn't.

I'm only in the beginning of the video but YES - I have only seen this movie twice in my life (I am typically a repeat watcher, there's loads of movies I've seen over 50 times) even though I do love it so much. It's too devastating, and knowing how it ends makes it hard to be entertaining. I think it's the kind of movie you watch maybe once every decade and spend the remaining years trying to grapple with just how tragic it is😂

This movie made me hate Benedict Cumberbatch 😂 I remember watching the credits and shouting at my screen "what kind of name is that ? I HATE you, dude, I'm never watching anything you're in, _you monster!_ " Anyway I'll be seeing Multiverse of Madness next WE 😂 That movie broke me and rebuilt me in the best possible way. The cast is stellar, I would follow Saoirse anywhere because oh. my. god. Basically I discovered so many actors in this - Saoirse, McAvoy, Benedict of course, but also Juno and Romola and Daniel Mays and Nonso Anozie. I only knew Keira and Jérémie Rénier beforehand ! But the soundtrack, the cinematography, the Dunkerque scene... I loved everything in it. And yet the most important feature is the unbearable sadness of this movie. I felt quite a closeness to Briony, I have been an over-fanciful 13 year-old with delusions of literature and I cannot find into myself to hate or even blame her. She never found atonement. She damned an innocent man, broke her family, helped a r@pist get his claws on his victim, got two persons indirectly killed. She carried her guilt until the end of her days (as symbolised by her unchanged hairdo) All this at 13 😥 I like particularly how in the invented scene where she goes to see Cecilia, Robbie tells her that "13 is old enough to know the difference between good and evil." These words, Briony put them in Robbie's mouth. That's how she sees herself, that's why she sabotaged her future, emulating her big sister by taking part in the war effort. And yet it's useless. Nothing can repair the damage her treasured imagination made. She's an incredibly tragic figure. Even worse when thinking how 30's Britain was stacked against her, and Robbie, and Cecilia, and _Lola_ . Everyone wanted ultimately to accuse Robbie, him or the other servant boy (played by Theon Greyjoy!). Marshall was literally _lounging on the couch_ while everyone else was losing it regarding the attack. I read this as a stark parable on SA that's still unfortunately very true to this day: the more powerful the attacker, the less you can hope for justice. Even more, I'm sure Marshall SA'd Lola even before dinner : remember the "Indian burn" remark ? The twins had already took off by that point. Truth is, even if Briony had clearly made a difference between what she sees and what she wants to see, would the police have believed two teenage girls accusing a millionaire? I don't think so. Anyway, when Briony sees Lola again, she's judging her through the screen and ignores her at her wedding. Another relationship irreparably damaged. Ultimately, that movie taught me how SA is an assault to the fabric of society. A lot of lives were destroyed because Marshall is a predator. My God I wrote so much 😅 but seriously, I barely touched the surface of how that movie made me feel. I had never seen a movie like that before and it made me think of a lot of things for _years_ An absolute masterpiece indeed.

I'll just say while I'm at the start of the video: this film & book broke teenage me. As a huge Keira Knightley stan, i watched it & fell in love with James McAvoy. Saoirse is definitely the best actress of our generation. Afterwards I felt dead inside. The stories we're told growing up always have an happy ending & this was just all over tragic for everyone. The book made me weep (I don't cry when reading) & I started to understand the film more (I literally watched it on a whim). I rewatched the film Christmas 2020 & as being older I could appreciate the film even more (while sobbing LOUDLY in my cushion 🥲). But I will still rewatch the film countless times ❤ edit: excuse the uncomprehensive mess 😅

your exactly perfectly encapsulates how conflicted i felt watching this movie back in 2009. i was a little late in the game, but jfc the moment i finished the film. i didn't want to watch it again. you said it best, tho beautifully filmed, i couldn't go thru re-watching the whole turmoil again.

To me it's important that Briony DOES admit that she made up much of the story; to do otherwise would have been to repeat her mistake. What I mean is... I read the novel for Developments in the Novel, which definitely affected my reading. Not that that makes it "wrong," but that I was focused on certain themes over others. To me, a central theme is the problem of other minds: Briony assumes that she can know people based on what she sees, and in fact what she sees affects how she interprets them. But that's just it: there's always interpretation involved; she cannot know other people on the internal, intimate level she knows herself. When Robbie won't forgive her in her story... Maybe the real Robbie didn't blame Briony; maybe he wouldn't have wanted people to think he did. This way, she can imagine who they were without speaking for them.

I fell into the spectrum of really not getting why so many people hated Briony, because well, she was a child. She literally didn’t really think that far ahead, I think her actions only show her immaturity at the time. But oh well, thanks for making such an insightful video. ^^

I thought Briony did it because she believed Robbie was a bit of a pervert and a predator, so she felt the need to protect her sister Cecilia. Throughout the movie whenever Briony used to pry on the two, she had a look of horror and disgust seeing the two being "close" or intimate and also after she read that letter which Robbie told her not to open up. All of that led her to believe Robbie was sexually coercing her sister, and given that she was young, she didn't understand female sexuality.

i think we desperately need more stories about morally ambiguous people who achieve some sort of forgiveness. firstly, because it shows us how to forgive others. and secondly, because without proof that forgiveness is possible, it's way harder to forgive yourself. i wonder, though, if the reason we're in this cultural moment of anti-forgiveness is (at least partially) due to the mandate to forgive a lot of us experienced as children. i know that when i was growing up, authority figures would demand i forgive people even though i knew those people didn't even know or care that they'd hurt me. i think that's a common experience for a lot of us. and maybe, in sticking up for ourselves and being rightfully stingy with our forgiveness, we've gone a little too far. ETA (because apparently this wasn't clear 🥴) i'm not fucking telling you to go hug your abusive stepdad or whatever. i'm suggesting that we should strive for a happy medium between "forgive everyone instantly" and "forgiveness is impossible."

I have cried so many times watching the movie and the prose in the book is some of the best I've ever read in fiction. I'm so happy you made this video, I rarely see anyone talk about it.

i've never seen this movie, but wow, i have never felt my blood pressure rise so much. look, i get briony is just a kid, but when you consciously make choices that literally ruin people's lives, i don't think that can be simply considered as naive and juvenile stupidity anymore.

I really like this take on Atonement and I believe it to be the most accurate. I always sympathised more with Briony than others; I think bc my own childhood was full of lots of shame that I'm still working thorugh, which was 99% of the time set upon me by my older sister who was an abuser. I used stories and escaping into them to try and outrun her tyranny, and I think when I first watched Atonement I probably imposed some of my life experience on the characters, so I saw the older sister's lack of forgiveness over a child's mistake as an act of abuse from an unforgiving b*tch. I'm able to see it clearer now, though people should really look at their own biases when examining Briony as a character.

I can't believe you released this video while I was working on an analysis of the book for my final paper. I can confirm that literary critics hate Briony. However, I found myself able to be more empathetic. Unlike many of the professors and reviewers who I had to read for my paper, I am studying to be a public school teacher. I have had to learn how children's minds develop, and I have worked with 13 year olds. They are just beginning to understand abstract concepts, so the existential wondering is pretty accurate for an introspective 13 year old. In addition, I was a socially awkward kid with few friends, and I used media to understand the world around me. Briony is doing the same thing. It is more obvious in the book because there are references that couldn't translate to screen, but Briony is heavily influenced by fairy tales and romance novels, and she is desperately trying to figure out what story Robbie and Cecilia are in so she can understand the situation (that's what my paper was about).

I never hated Briony's character, she was a child at the time of the accusation, she seemed confused and scared by everything she saw out of context, also the letter. But how could the police find the accounts of a child as sufficient evidence to convict and imprison someone, especially since it was dark? He also came back with the boys so he found them, probably nowhere near where the assault happened. Also did the victim name him at all? (I have not read the book, so not sure). Yes it was wrong was she did, but I think the actual rapist, the social prejudice and the war did most of the evil in this story, and not a child's mistake. Also that Dunkirk scene is heart-breaking.

The book says that Briony had wanted to publish the book with the actual ending way before but had been warned by her lawyers/publication that Lord Marshall and Lady Marshall (aka Lola) would take it to the courts and likely win considering the Marshalls had had many court victories by that time. So she was told that her book had a realistic chance to be published ONLY after both of the Marshalls were dead. Paul died by the end but Lola was still alive hence the book was likely going to be published only after Briony's death. In the book Briony also says that ONLY her latest draft had the happy end for Robbie and Cecilia, implying that the previous versions had the real ending . My point being that Briony did not ever forgive herself and didn't want the book to forgive herself too considering her early versions of the book yet decided to have a happy ending only at the end when she was dying. I think she never forgives herself.

I didn’t see the movie or read the book, but wouldn’t that not be a lot of pressure on a kid to be the sole witness, besides the victim? I mean what kind of investigation wouldn’t even check with the victim first? Yea she was wrong and dumb because she was a kid, but also she was a kid and adults around her should’ve been making better choices!

When I watched this movie, and then watched the ending, felt like a punch in the gut, I not that she was a naive at she seems, more when the trailers were portraying her as anything as such, they were portraying her as manipulative and self-centred, I think that she did what did out of spite, for being rejected, and then expend the next six decades trying to atone herself because she would never get it for people that lives she ruin. Also I didn't known that this movie was based on a book.

Reluctant to Forgive: how wonderfully put. What a horrible malady to have contracted.

I think alot of hate for her comes from a very simple place: people hate tings that remind them of what they hate about themselves. It's very shameful right now to even be accused of being self centered or selfish and people immediately jump on calling each other narcissists with no real cause at all. It's extremely common for people about Briny's age to to have thoughts like that. Many people I know, and I've heard some celebrities talk about it too, have told me that they went through periods of time when they were young where they were terrified that either A) no one else was 'real' or that B) everyone else was 'real' and treated each other the ways we do anyways.

I don’t think I ever truly hated 13 year old Briony. It’s adult Briony that is so frustrating. But that is also like she is still trapped with the 13 year old mentality

Went and watched the movie because of this video. Very glad that I did. Your video added to the experience so thank you

This was phenomenal!! You’re so incredibly well-spoken and skilled at communicating complex ideas, and multiple perspectives on them, in a clear, nonjudgmental, and genuinely inspiring way. It just makes you to want to contribute to the conversation!

This was a very different generation, problems were covered up, emotions were often repressed, there was a lot of distance especially between adults and children as it wasn't seen as proper or even good for a child to be given the attention and validation which is more commonly accepted now. Kids make these kinds of mistakes every single day, and they only become more extreme the more a child is emotionally neglected. How could she possibly understand the consequences of her actions. The thing about Briony is that she's trying to make order in a world which is ever more chaotic, and 13 is a chaotic age. Perhaps one of the reasons why she tries to order the world is because the adults in her life are exhibiting quiet symptoms of chaos. There's no way they can be clear about the things going on between them, and they would especially never tell a child. Perhaps what she did was a symptom of her environment, which seems to be peaceful and orderly (and the adults inhabiting it would probably do anything to keep it that way) but hides confusion, secrets and lies. Okay she seems to exhibit lack of empathy, but what kid actually understands things like divorce or anything they haven't gone through? Also taking into consideration her restrained and distant upbringing, and the lack of understanding people had of mental health and communication, why on earth does anyone think she would be able to 'atone'? Sure she should have, but it would take a huge mental leap as well as an ability to healthily process her guilt (or any emotion at all) for her to have done that. This is a tragedy of circumstance.

Thank you for the sensitivity and nuance you brought to this analysis, I feel like you've really articulated some of the more complex qualities of this book that I've been unable to pin down. Really beautiful exploration of Briony's self-hating pragmatism and regretful self-serving fancy.

As human beings we too often make negative decisions against others impulsively. We have a bad habit of denying our true emotional state. We convince or gaslight ourselves of different intentions to justify our negative actions. It is only after the deed is done do we finally acknowledge our true feelings. I think Briony's action were done out of jealousy & spitefulness. I think she convinced herself that her actions were in the service of protecting Cecilia. True, Briony had no understanding of the "intimate encounters" she observed between Robbie & Cecilia but they were still encounters that she envied. If Briony truly believed that Robbie was Lola's attacker why would she feel the need to pressure Lola into saying Robbie's name? Briony's character didn't strike me as the "nosey sibling" type, so why did she feel the need to read the note Robbie typed for Cecilia? Yes, she was disgusted at first but she seem intrigued by it too. I think the reason Briony felt immediate guilt after the incident was because she knew what her real intentions were, which had nothing to do with protecting Cecilia

Great essay. I'm very surprised as I had never considered Briony to be morally ambiguous. Yes, I did find her character annoying but she was just a kid. She saw what her mind made her see, her kid-mind wouldn't be able to understand sexuality so of course she sees this as disgusting. Then, to put the nail in the coffin, she witnesses an actual assault. It was her way of protecting her sister and cousin from the sinister man she thought Robbie to be. I believe it was his socioeconomic status that led to their decision. Would the lord be treated the same way Robbie had if her cousin told the truth? No.

This is the most compassionate review based on this character. good job !

One of my favorite films of all time, saw it in theaters as a teen and bought it on dvd. I still own it and once in a while , when I feel Devastatingly romantic, I throw it on and let my heart break. This was the first performance I saw from Benedict Cumberbatch in my life, what an introduction. James and Kiera have such beautiful heartbreaking chemistry. So happy you made this video🙏🏽♥️♥️♥️

I’ve been binge watching your videos essays, and just wanted to say how fantastic your work is! Your perspective is incredibly thought-provoking and compassionate. Great work!

great analysis! thank you for this video! another show that explores guilt and forgiveness very beautifully is "Haibane Renmei". It's an anime (13 episodes) from 2002 that beautifully examines this theme at a point when you cannot find forgiveness from the ones you have hurt cause they don't exist anymore and how isolating this is. so what do you do? it starts a bit slow, exploring the magical world they are born in and then half way through it becomes darker and more interesting.

I love how their talking about this I recently had a dream about this movie I did see this movie once, but I've been thinking about it this movie for a while now

Moral ambiguity aside, her initial mistake might be forgivable, but the choice to keep making this mistake for so many years, it is not. In the end, she gave Cecilia and Robbie their supposed "happy ending" in audience's eyes for entirely selfish reasons. She wanted, at all cost, to be forgiven by anyone who was willing, but made no real attempt to earn that. And lets not mention that by accusing the wrong person, and standing by that lie, she condemned Lola to a life with her abuser. Marshall probably made Lola believe he was the only one who would accept her in her damaged state, might've even convinced her parents of it, like the deranged monster he is. The initial mistake might've been Marshall's, the rapist, but Briony aggravated the situation and made everyone's lives, except for Marshall's, worse for it.

Recommendation : If you liked the exploration of the power of writing/the author in this movie.... try a short German story called 'Agnes' - by Peter Stamm.

Each time I rewatch this movie I cry earlier on. It's the perfect movie to make me sob like a baby.

I know this isn't exactly a film or a "book" but Attack on Titan I think truly does explore the morally Gray everyone is so fleshed out when it comes to their motives there is always that but if I were them I would do that to even if it isn't right and then sometimes some of the worst characters have some kind of redemption in their acts or qualities but in general it's a phenomenal story with some of the best foreshadowing built in from the start and its done in such a subtle way you wouldn't pick up on it but when you do it's mind bending but there is also a kind of horror in rereading or watching it because seeing all of the foreshadowing shows you that to fight fate is futile in this story

Thank you so much for diving deep into my favorite movie. I agree with the other commenter re Marshall. Dude was an entitle sleaze (played brilliantly by a young Benedict Cumberbatch), got away with rape and ended up marrying her likely so she could keep his secret forever. I read this book for AP English in 2006 and we discussed the letter the day the superintendent decided to come and observe some classes. Suffice to say, it was an interesting day!

I love this movie, specially because of how painful it is, it's cathartic to watch

The concept that only in fiction can we really explore the idea that other people are as "real" as us, is just... flooring

I read the title to this video and immediately hit like. This is topic I’m fascinated about but you never hear discussed. I tend to gravitate to the morally ambiguous characters because I think that’s what most of us are. Beautifully flawed humans just trying to make it through life the best way we know how.

Omg I love Atonement and thank you for this analysis. I feel the pain every time I rewatch this beautiful movie. Keira, James and Saoirse were brilliant in their roles.

The thing that destroyed my try to give that character any compassion was her words in the end that this novel was her final "mercy" for those people to be happy at least in her novel, even when they met a gruesome end in reality. No, it wasn't a damn mercy. It was just a pity for her sick mind to justify herself, that, uh, well, at least in the novel they are happy. They're dead. They would never see that ending. They're dead. They've gone through hell and died in the most sad, lonely, and suffering way. Because she, with her "big imagination", decided to interfere in two adult's business. She lied about what she saw, and broke lives of those people because of it. She doesn't deserve any compassion, because she was lying to herself until the very end. Yes, maybe guilt was eating her inside out, and rightfully so. She didin't try to accept it, and admit it, all she did, is create a world inside her mind, where her mistake wasn't as crushing and devastating, as it was in reality. She didn't accept her failure. She escaped from it. This is all what this girl did. She's a coward for me, and there is no morality in forgiving her.

love this movie but I rarely hear it spoken about outside of the iconic oner, so it was so nice to watch this dissection!

I truly appreciate your film essay. And I had to rewatch the film to know whether my initial response was still my gut feeling. It is. I feel you are not correct in your assessment of Briony that she honestly believed that Robbie was a perv and was scared of him And the scene that tells me this is the one with Lola before the dinner. Any child who believes that an adult is really a bad person would not gossip in such a care-free way with another young person. She would be wary of what she said and to whom. Briony was having too good of a time having a girl's talk it sounded like a girl scorned or at least passed over. And her actions after this were of a jealous child. And that could be forgiven except for the fact that as others have mentioned she spent every day of her life waking up and choosing to continue to lie about what happened and not correct the past. I was crushed by this movie the first time I watched it. And years later I do not feel wrong in the belief that she was one of the worst characters in a book or movie I have watched. There is no Atonement for her. I don't believe she ever really tried.

I forgot who you said the author of the book was, but their writing was FANTASTIC. Wow, they write so beautifully. I hope to one day write like them ❤

Forgiveness can be given from person to person whether someone asks to be forgiven or not - but atonement requires compensation or repayment somehow. “Morally ambiguous” is too murky for Briony, she’s morally flawed. That said, I loved this video, Yes it is ok that she forgives herself, and it is indeed a waste of time and life if she doesn’t. Our self righteous society is far too quick to condemn and too slow to forgive.

I'm glad that other people remember this beautiful and tragic movie.

Wow, thank you so much for speaking about this film. I've been subscribed to your channel for a while now but I'm only now discovering you've covered some EXCELLENT films that I particularly adore very much and that are not as usually talked about??? I watched Atonement for the first time last year and it blew my mind, the aesthetic visuals, the soundtrack, the performances, the pacing and cinematography, the soul wrenching ending but all the nuances in which it treats every part of its narrative... thank you so much for this video. I appreciate it so much. I'm now off to watch your video on A Monster Calls which is my favorite film ever and no one ever talks about it and AAAAA you've got a video on it 😭💜🛐 thank you! so glad I found your channel and that you speak with such thought of these films

Very good character analysis! Keep up the good work. One idea about Briony: she's just a highly imaginative child leaving in her inner creative world all the time. I love to write, I read stories to my small daughter and she loves creating her own stories too. I can see a little bit of Briony in her (even in the lack of empathy). I'm always gently bringing her to reality. My full time job is to help her make conscious decisions in life, while continuing a world of fantasy on paper. :) Looking forward for more analysis!

fact: her lie caused the death of a a beautiful couple in love. the long take really made an impact

This movie really made me fell on love with James McEvoy, I hope he does more movies, I pretty much watched all them already

2:05 "who even gets to decide" Reminds me of what yuri said to nanno, who are you to judge

Incredible video, this opened my perspective as to Briony's taken innocence after getting involved into something she does not understand. Along with her clearly being regretful at the end, as she was not the villain ever, it was Marshall.

I remember studying this film in high school and it has such a different meaning to me being able to revisit it now as an adult. My essay would certainly be very different now.

Oh my goodness when I tell you I watched this 5 years ago and all I’ve ever wanted to do was rewatch it but couldn’t remember the title or any of the actors names!!!!! This just randomly popped up next to book recommendation videos . I had been thinking about it every few months the past year trying to remember anything that would help me find it again. I saw the thumbnail of the girls face and thought that looks like a good movie and a good character. I literally watched the scene of her in the garden. Still didn’t realize it was my movie !!!! Thank you !!!!!

I have to say that this is one of my favorite movies of all time. I have watched it four times already and I don't get tired of it ❤️ 2:27 The last time I saw this film I noticed the keys in the music and I think it is also a foreshadowing of the *spoiler* fact that this is all written by her from her perspective on how she saw the events.

Man. I watched Atonement when it came out and liked it well enough but this is the second time I run across quotes from the book with Briony being super-analytical about the human condition and I think maybe it's a book I'd like to read.

This is truly a film for debate. I remember watching it with my sister in the cinema (I am a younger sister, lol) and in the end we both had completely different opinions about who is the most tragic character in the film. I would compare it to a Greek tragedy, the situation is complex and can be viewed from several angles. Briony is a great character, and as such I defended her, because she is the one who stays to live with guilt. In literature, these characters, who are neither good nor bad, and are simply - people, are the the one that we can most learn upon.This is also a psychological movie. I sincerely believe in that phrase "hell is paved with good manners". We all did things that we later repented, things that hurt some people who we love (just not as extreme as shown in the movie, but who knows?) After the movie, people very quickly condemned Briony but somehow I think we can all be her. A lot of people think they can make a good decision at a given moment but the truth is that most people miss it.

I thought Briony was jealous and didn't understand the severity of the lies she was telling. Is that because I didn't read the movie well or that they didn't convey what was written? It's still a good movie but it feels like her confusion and motives could've been better portrayed.

this was an amazing video!! loved it!

I think she was a sociopath wasn’t she? If not she had low level psychopathy. It’s a really fascinating story due to being able to see inside her mind, a place that is very foreign to normal people.

This was a beautiful film👍 I especially enjoyed the color. Yes, difficult to watch stories like this when the dominoes fall…it’s frustrating being the audience!

I have watched it more than twice and it's one of the most beautiful story in a movie.

My issue with Briony was never the misunderstanding itself (she's a child it happens) it was her certainty, at no point did she think "hey maybe it's impossible to tell who it was cause it was way too dark to see"

I think that the film is devastating for a completely different reason. Namely, a rapist got his happy ever after with the underage victim and nobody batted an eye, a little girl who did a terribly stupid thing lived her whole life in misery and regret and the two innocent people of the story never get any closure or justice. They just die suddenly, untimely, violently and they didn't even deserve it. It's so mundane and baffling it's unbearable I think that kind of ending is the only thing that separates experiencing a fictional story from reading/hearing about a similar real-life event. A happy ending provides the viewers with closure, it allows them to say "all's well that ends well" and to forget the experience, to avoid harbouring any feelings, emotional and mental scarring. Real life isn't that "generous". Tremendous amount of evil deeds in reality are not punished or the retribution for the crime is late, inadequate, insufficient or everything all at once. It's the maddening reality we live in. Victims don't get happy endings, the bereaved are left with a bleeding soul, people who learn about the tragedy become shocked and scared, and the vile creature of the criminal just lives his life as if nothing has passed. Nothing It's very interesting that saoirse ronan also played a rape and murder victim, and the criminal in the story also went away unscathed, avoiding any semblance of punishment. And i think that films like that need to exist. End note: i saw this film more than 5 years ago and even then i was VERY sceptical concerning it's very morally ambiguous subject, namely "false rape accusation". Statistically, such things happen very rarely, yet their amount in public consciousness is disproportionately inflated, and that results in abhorrent treatment of the victims, utter refusal to believe them and general reluctance of women to report a crime that "disgraced them". And here we are, mostly hating on a stupid kid who did stupid thing. A thing to ponder on, isn't it

I would love your take on Man of La Mancha, I always loved the movie. Not as a musical but as an expedition Into the concept of hope and redemption. Creation of the self and reinvention at any stage in your life. And yes the most obvious question of "what even is Reality, what is Truth?" What is fiction to one is terror to be touched be another. I like to watch it outside of the notion that the book even exists because it resonated so much better on its own and without comparison to its origin. It recreates and reinvents itself with similarities but apparent differences to be its own and has long been a movie of comfort in trying times.

I just always felt like after both reading the book and watching the movie that Briony just needed to mind a child’s place honestly. Like I could get her seeing the situation at the fountain being an issue, if not understanding the context, but when Robbie asked her to deliver the letter Briony in her childish mind went and opened it and read it, again mistaking things out of context because she doesn’t understand. Again with the study as well. With lack of understanding Briony made a judgement call on Robbie. Her saying she saw Robbie commit the act on her cousin was a direct lie and she knew it. Sure she’s just 13 but she is old enough to understand consequences and also understand that she couldn’t confirm that it was Robbie she assumed and stood firm in it. There were many other solutions to understanding the context around what she saw but she wasn’t mature enough to think of those things, which is why I feel she should have just minded her business after seeing them if she didn’t understand it.

I think Briony is simple waking up to the reality that people, all people, are complex. Shes just a kid. She doesn't realize that actions have consequences. When you are a kid that concept is not really a thing in your head.

One of my all-time favorite movies about moral ambiguity is an early 2000's German movie called "Die Leben Der Anderen". It has an incredible story about a Stasi spy who has a major moral dilemma. The ending of this film is one of the best I've ever seen. It's a truly brilliant film.

i defend Briony and her childhood innocence until i remember that she was silent about her actions for so long...and too cowardly to visit Cecilia. but nevertheless i can see the extent of the guilt she feels 60 years later...to live with that must be devastating, and i'm not sure she deserves that. i found your diagnosis of her as an egomaniac really interesting, and you did a good job of comparing book passages to script lines. i can definitely see it, but i think in some ways, like you said, we are all a little bit of an egomaniac, never fully grasping the idea that we are not the main character lol. we are a lot like briony, but most of us are exempt from being a victim of a slew of tiny little mistakes that fall into place that test our morality in the ways it did briony. i think the fact that people can hate briony more than marshal is crazy to me. maybe it is because of how beautiful the love between robby and cecilia is. we sum up marshal as pure and utter evil, while we know briony is capable of good, but decides to defy it anyways. there is a lot of anger that we can pin on briony, and for some reasons that definitely involved envy for her, even it if was only subconscious. just saw this in the theaters yesterday and oh my god. they stab you in the back and twist the knife. love your analysis and perfect timing for me! thank you and keep creating!

I have a friend who absolutely hates Lola. But I can’t hate either of those girls because they were just kids. And Lola herself was a victim. Doesn’t make it right what they did but I just feel bad for all of the characters.

My first time watching the movie, I was heartbroken at the end but I felt as though Briony might have atoned for what she'd done by giving them a happy ending, though fictional. However, after a couple of rewatches, I've come to realize that Briony was, throughout her entire life, attention seeking. She claimed in the ending she felt she carried out her "final act of kindness" ( 17:06 ), as though to redeem her image before she died. Did she really even care about making things right? Or did she just want people to see her in a better light? I think she had plenty of time to do something before Cecelia and Robbie's deaths, but just refused to, for reasons I'm still not sure of. This is my favorite movie and it makes me cry every single time, but I've gotta say: I fucking hate Briony.

I understand how people can't watch the movie more than once, even though it is brillant and beautiful