10 Brilliant Films That Were Intentionally Boring

Based on the celebrated novel by Ian McEwan, Atonement is a story of jealousy, guilt and unrequited love which begins a few years before the onset of World War II. Briony Tallis (Saoirse Ronan) comes across an erotically explicit letter, written to her older sister Cecilia (Keira Knightley) by a servant named Robbie (James McAvoy). Racked with jealousy, Briony frames Robbie for the rape of her teenage cousin Lola (Juno Temple). Robbie is sent to prison and subsequently joins the army to fight in France.

Atonement has significant themes, tragic circumstances and profound lessons on life and personal responsibility. In other words, it's fairly easy to call it boring. Many have accused the film of struggling to maintain momentum as it lurches through extended lulls and indulges in oftentimes all too familiar genre affectations.

Overall, however, Atonement is simply a film about love against the odds. And despite its extremely depressing conclusion, it's a film that undoubtedly deserves to mentioned among the great screen romances.