An Education- Film Review
Carey Mulligan and Peter Sarsgaard Star in this Tale of Seduction
Oct 8, 2009
An Education is an elegant U.K. production that is visually rich as well as ripe with story and talent. The up-and-coming, young British actress, Carey Mulligan, delivers an Oscar-worthy performance as an enamoured teenager, who is too clever for her own good.
A Glittering New World
Intelligent and pretty, Jenny (Carey Mulligan) is relentlessly prepped for admittance into Oxford University by her conservative parents, cleverly played by Alfred Molina and Cara Seymour. With a keenness for existentialism and a passion for everything French, Oxford represents Jenny’s opportunity to be finally free from her old-fashioned parents and her eventual move to Paris.
This seems like very much an executable plan. Until the life-altering day when, outside her elite girls’ school, Jenny has a flirtatious encounter with David (Peter Sarsgaard), a magnetic older man.
After successfully sweeping Jenny off her feet, David arrives at her home to charm her parents as well. They too are captivated by the urbane aristocrat, and readily agree to let him take out their school-aged daughter to a concert; followed by a late dinner at a nightclub.
On their date, she meets his beautiful and sophisticated friends, Danny (Dominic Cooper) and Helen (Oxford graduate Rosamund Pike). From then on, the dazzled Jenny exchanges her boring old life for the exciting new world led by David and his friends.
Virtually overnight, the fanciful school girl transforms into a gorgeous, grownup young lady in love. So in love, that Jenny nearly follows her glamorous companions down a shady path.
The Cold Slap of Reality
This multi-layered drama does contain plenty of humorous adults situations. Such as when David takes Jenny to Paris to fulfill her aspiration of losing her virginity on her 17th birthday in the City of Lights. At the moment when David presents a banana to “get the messy bit over with”, she protests, “I don’t want to lose my virginity to a piece of fruit!”, and insists to him, “Treat me like a grownup!” Only to feel sadly misled by “all those songs and all that poetry” that embellished the sexual act as a pleasant, romantic experience.
Moral issues as well as new ideas of feminism are also explored. When Jenny questions her headmistress, played by Emma Thompson, “Why are you educating us?!”. The query challenges the purpose of vigorously thrusting young girls towards higher education, when the ultimate prize for an accomplished young lady is a good marriage match.
In the end, Jenny learns that she cannot take a shortcut to the life she wants to live, and divulges to her favorite teacher, “I feel old, but not very wise.”
The Cast and Crew of An Education
An Education stars Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard, Alfred Molina, Dominic Cooper, Rosamund Pike, Olivia Williams, Emma Thompson, Cara Seymour, Matthew Beard and Sally Hawkins.
Directed by award-winning Danish filmmaker Lone Scherfig (Italian For Beginners), and was based upon a memoir by British journalist Lynn Barber and adapted by popular English novelist Nick Hornby (High Fidelity, About A Boy) for the screen.
Cinematography by John de Borman. Edited by Barney Pilling. Production designed by Andrew McAlpine. Costumes designed by Odile Dicks-Mireaux.
Produced by Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey. Executive producers are James D. Stern, Douglas E. Hansen, Wendy Japhet, David M. Thompson, Jamie Laurenson and Nick Hornby. U.S. release by Sony Pictures Classics.
(Running Time: 95 min)
(Rated: PG-13 for Mature Thematic Material Involving Sexual Content, and for Smoking.)
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
