Music and Sound

Without knowing the thoughts and feelings a character is experiencing, as you do in a novel, sound in a film is extremely important when it comes to building emotion and anticipation. Different sounds can create any type of emotion, such as fear, sadness, joy, and even excitement. The right music and sound effects are what turns a good story into a great film, by allowing the viewer to experience a variety of emotions.

Music

The music in the scene when Robbie realizes he gave Briony the wrong letter to deliver to Cecilia creates huge anticipation. This scene is guaranteed to have viewers at the edge of their seats, wondering what the outcome is going to be. The music is upbeat and suspenseful, and the view of Robbie from the back, turning his head as he realizes his mistake, and quietly says, "Briony," just adds to the suspense of the scene. Then as he remembers the letter being folded on his desk at home, which the film flashes back to, the music begins to get louder and faster, followed by silence right before he screams her name with great urgency, "BRIONY!!!" The music, and even the silence throughout this scene continue to create suspense right up until the end of the scene.

Another great example of music in the film is the mixture of music during the scene at Dunkirk, giving off a vibe of mixed emotions. One minute the music is upbeat, the men are laughing, some even singing together, celebrating the fact that they've made it through the war alive. And then you hear the low, sad music, for those who are filled with sorrow and horror, looking around at everything destroyed around them, and no ships to take them home. Viewers are left with no choice but to feel strong emotion in this scene due to the music throughout it.

Sound Effects

Sound Effects also create great suspense and emotion to the film. An example of this is when Briony was out, in search for the twins. It was dark and quiet; with the sound of running water from the river, and a couple ducks fly down very suddenly and loudly, causing Briony to scream. The sound of the ducks creates fear, not only for Briony, but also for the viewers as well, which creates a sense of anticipation of what's to come. Briony's heavy breathing also has an impact on this scene, as it shows her own fear. 

Although the scene involving the ducks creates great fear and anticipation, it doesn't compare to the effects of the crashing water in the end scene, when Cecilia dies. The music is this scene is filled with sorrow and sadness. You can hear bombs all around them, and finally as the music gets louder, you hear the sound of water crashing in, down over the steps to where Cecilia is laying. And then the music goes quiet, as Cecilia drifts away, totally submerged in the water. The quietness after the sound of crashing water enhances emotions, and silently confirms Cecilia's death. Therefore, watching the film, and hearing these sounds, allows viewers to experience things they wouldn't by just reading the novel.

Voice over-lap/Shadowing

Shortly before Robbie came to Briony with his letter for Cecilia, Briony was alone writing her stories. Her voice was over-lapping each sentence over and over, creating a sense of chaos. She was on to her next thought before the previous thought was complete. Her mind was being flooding with ideas, as she was 100% into "story-mode." This sentence over sentence effect truly reveals that she was in her own world of fiction, which resulted in her creating her own horrible thoughts of Robbie after being asked to deliver his letter to Cecilia, which she read on the way.

In the novel, readers know Briony was creating stories, however, in the film, the sound of her voice over-lapping each thought, proves to viewers that she was greatly engaged in the world of storytelling, more so than what was described in the novel.
Another effect of voice over-lap, or in this case, voice shadowing, that creates emotion, is the repetition of Robbie thinking back to Cecilia's voice saying, "come back... come back to me..." This demonstrates the longing Robbie has to see her, and the determination he has to get back home to her. But this isn't the only time you hear these words, it is repeated many times throughout the film. Cecilia says it to Robbie when he is being taken away, when they meet during the war, in her letters to him, and finally to bring him back to his calm place after being furious when Briony visits them years later (real or not, at this point it was believed they were both alive and well). These four words "come back to me," being repeated enhances their love for one another, and creates more of an urgency for viewers wanting Robbie to make it home to her safely.

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Come back to me