Briony witnesses Robbie and Cecilia at the fountain from an upper level window of Tallis Mansion. Wright specifically positions her above and overlooks the other characters to demonstrate Briony's authority in the Tallis household. She dominates the other characters in the scene, which makes her seem superior to them. Figures of authority and ultimate power constitute the very tip of the hierarchical structure; everyone is below them and takes their orders. This particular positioning is used frequently throughout the film. In a later scene, Briony watches Robbie being arrested and she looks out a higher window again. Wright uses Briony's higher positioning in this scene to confirm that Briony possesses control over the fates of the other characters, but particularly Robbie. In each of these scenes, Robbie is the center of Briony's attention. He is the person in the direct focus of the shots from Briony's point of view at the windows. Earlier in the film, when Briony returns to her play with Lola and the twins, she says, "If you're Arabella, then I'll be the director, thank you very much" (Atonement). This line of dialogue reveals to the audience that Briony sees herself as the director of the other characters. She runs life as if it were a play, and not the lives of the other characters.