I purposely read McEwan’s book right before seeing the movie and I’m glad I did. It helped to explain certain things about the film that I think would have left me at a loss. For example, the “flashbacks” seem to me to be not really flashbacks but rather episodes as Briony actually saw them and then how she later wrote about them, filling in details, dialogue, emotion, etc. Much of the dialogue was lifted straight from the book, which also helped me with some difficulties understanding the (perhaps mumbled?) British English. Also, since I was watching the movie on pay per view I rewatched some parts of it. I really think it’s a subtley complex film and could bear a number of “rewatchings”.