Atonement’s Erotic Climax

BY: PROVOKR Staff

Atonement is a 2007 British drama based on Ian McEwan’s novel of the same name. It begins in 1935 on the country estate of the aristocratic Tallis family. Cecilia Tallis (Keira Knightley) is the older daughter of the family and Robbie Turner (James McAvoy) is the housekeeper’s son. Despite their differing social statuses, the two are intensely attracted to each other, which leads to a chaste but erotically charged encounter next to a fountain on the estate. After that incident, Robbie proceeds to write several drafts of a love letter to Cecilia—one of them extremely explicit and sexual. Although Robbie never planned to send that version of the letter, it ends up in the hands of Cecilia’s 13-year-old sister, Briony (Saoirse Ronan), who reads it and passes it along to Cecilia. In the following scene, Cecilia confronts Robbie about the letter’s vulgar contents and the two finally verbally and physically express the pent-up feelings that they have for each other.

EXT. TALLIS HOUSE. DUSK.

CLOSE on ROBBIE’S hand, tugging at the bell-pull. When the door opens, it’s CECILIA, the folded letter in her hand.

ROBBIE
It was a mistake.

CECILIA
Briony read it.

ROBBIE
Oh, God. I’m so sorry. It was the wrong version.

CECILIA
Yes.

ROBBIE
No one was ever meant to…

CECILIA
No.

INT. HALLWAY. NIGHT.
CECILIA turns away and moves briskly towards the library. ROBBIE, after a second’s hesitation, follows her, almost stepping on the hair-clip which has dropped from her hair.

INT. LIBRARY. NIGHT.
It’s dark in the library. ROBBIE waits in the doorway, until CECILIA has switched on the desk-lamp; then he closes the door behind him and advances tentatively into the room. CECILIA crosses almost the full width of the room, before turning to face him.

CECILIA
What was in the version I was meant to read?

ROBBIE
I don’t know, it was more formal, it was less…

CECILIA
Anatomical?

ROBBIE
Yes.

CECILIA doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry. ROBBIE begins to inch towards her as she begins to back gradually into a dark corner, until she’s up against the bookshelves.

CECILIA
It’s been there for weeks and then this morning by the fountain… I’ve never done anything like that before and I was so angry with you, and with myself. I thought if you went away to medical school, I’d be happy. I don’t know how I could have been so ignorant about myself. So stupid.

Tears well in her eyes. He’s moving closer and closer.

CECILIA
You do know what I’m talking about, don’t you? You knew before I did.

ROBBIE
Why are you crying?

CECILIA
Don’t you know?

ROBBIE
Yes, I know exactly.

He reaches out and draws her to him, until their faces are inches apart. He kisses her briefly and pulls back; then they look at each other and kiss again, this time a long, passionate and breathless kiss, that draws from CECILIA a falling, sighing sound. He pushes her back into the corner and she starts tearing at his shirt, pulling at his waistband. He buries his face in her breasts and she drags his head up by the hair and bites his lip. She links her hands around his neck. He reaches down under her dress and into her underwear. She kicks off her shoes and he raises one of her feet on to the lowest shelf. He undoes his buttons, lifts her dress and enters her. She turns her head sharply, biting her lip. They stop moving and slowly turn to look into each other’s eyes. Then, after a long, still pause they whisper to one another, barely audible.

CECILIA
Robbie.

ROBBIE
Cecilia.

CECILIA
I love you.

ROBBIE
I love you.

She gasps as he starts moving again, crushing her against the creaking shelves. He takes her wrist and holds it back against the wall.
The door opens. CECILIA and ROBBIE freeze.

CECILIA (whispering)
Someone’s come in.

BRIONY
Cecilia?

CECILIA doesn’t answer. ROBBIE steps back from CECILIA and begins adjusting his clothes, keeping his back to BRIONY. CECILIA tidies herself up, steps out from behind ROBBIE and pushes past BRIONY without a word. BRIONY watches her leave the room, at a loss, then turns back, startled, as she senses ROBBIE turning towards her. She takes a step back, frightened; but he merely fumbles with his bow-tie and, staring coldly past her, leaves the room.