Atonement (2007)

This will always be both the ultimate James McAvoy, AND ultimate Keira Knightley movie for me. I have seen it at least 4 times, and every time I fall just a little harder for the pairing that defines my bisexuality. 

Another thing that has intensified over time is my absolute abhorrence towards Briony. That self-righteousness gets to me every single time, and I despise her with more vehemence than is strictly necessary for a fictitious character. Maybe this is why I can never completely warm up to Saoirse Ronan- my feelings about Atonement are too strong to move past. 

A big reason why this movie has become a "comfort" film for me is how beautiful it is to look at. It's so easy to forget what's happening in your own life and just lose yourself in this world that Joe Wright and Ian McEwan have created. My two favourite scenes, the ones that live rent-free in my head are the fountain scene and of course, the beach scene. A screenshot of the beach scene was actually my desktop background for a long time, that's how much I love this movie. 

However, my favourite thing about this movie is the sizzling and unforgettable chemistry between the lead pairing, and their individual performances which are perfect in every single way. Even when I watch it now as a 24-years old, I still feel the same sense of rapture I felt back when I was a teenager and saw this movie for the first time. It's the movie that made me a life-long fan of both Keira and James, and hence it will always be so very special for me.

In conclusion, as my friend said in her Letterboxd review- "teenagers ruin everything". 

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