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I saw only a handful of people when I entered the theater. I told myself, “OK it’s a period love story, perhaps that’s the reason.” I was expecting a movie that would translate much like “Cold Mountain.” (You know, the common love story torn by war and ends tragically). Amazingly, I was surprised that the film’s focus was not the love story at all—although it played a huge part in the story. The film actually centers on mistakes that are beyond repair. I rarely encounter movies with that much guilt and distress when it comes to human situations. It’s a picture that almost squeezed the tears off my eyes, knowing that the culprit was that of a child who believed she understood her own prejudices. I left the theater asking myself “How do you atone for mistakes that cannot be corrected?” I believe the worse redemption one could possibly experience is the kind of redemption Briony Tallis (the girl who made a mistake) gave herself. Forgiveness that’s only coming from the figment of her imagination. The ending was unexpected which pleasantly surprised me. I give this film a 10 for content. 10 for using the sound of a typewriter as part of the musical score and an 8.0 because there are snippets that are a bit dragging (unfortunately). Overall score is 9.0 I ‘m engrossed with Atonement. A film I would love to have in my film collection.