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An Education
An Education is a beautifully filmed coming of age story, set outside London in the early sixties. Jenny, played by Carey Mulligan is a sixteen year old student and one of her school's best and brightest, where she works hard in preparation for acceptance at Oxford. She also speaks French, plays the cello and embodies the dreams of her hard working parents, played by Alfred Molena and Cara Seymour. And along with those dreams are the pressures that come with it: for her to be well educated and ultimately succeed. One rainy day, Jenny meets the much older David (Peter Sarsgaard), driving his posh sports car when he charmingly offers to transport her cello. Of course this is the "meet cute" scene, where Jenny first becomes exposed to a far different and more glamorous lifestyle. (And subtly, the colors of the drab London weather and school uniforms tranform to rich, luxuriant colors in the ensuing scenes, representing a whole new world that is very attractive and filled with new choices).
Peter Sarsgaard is terrifically cast as the older, playboy gentleman, who is slyly manipulative and seducing to not only Jenny but her parents as well. He has the stodgy old father (Molina) wrapped around his fingers and the mother nearly swooning like a schoolgirl as well, when he abruptly comes into their lives to court Jenny. Danny (Dominic Cooper) plays David's dubious but equally suave business partner, and his girlfriend Helen is played by Rosamund Pike, in a fabulous turn as the glamorous and slightly airheaded, beautiful woman.
One might wonder how many ways there are of telling yet another tale about the loss of innocense and the painful realities of the adult world. But the direction by Lone Scherfig is superb in this beautiful portrait of An Education, based on the memoirs of Lynn Barber and the screenplay written by Nick Hornsby. It is a story easily identifiable by any child, (boy or girl), and certainly by any parent. The casting is very solid throughout, with mentionable supporting roles from Emma Thompson as the Headmistress and Olivia Williams as Miss Stubbs, Jenny's teacher who truly believes in her and cares about her future.
I really cannot find a serious misstep in this simple story about a young woman at the crossroads of her life, in London, at a time when the post-war world is crashing down and a newer, exciting and hipper culture is contending to take its place. But make no mistake, the real star is Carey Mulligan, whose performance is understated, touching and always true. It is deeply moving and sad for a child to be dissapointed in her parents and authority figures at a time when she needs them most. It is something altogether more profound when that child has the intellect and maturity to find some of the blame within. At once the actress seems to capture the simple beauty of Katie Holmes (circa Dawson's Creek), and the refined elegance of an Audrey Hepburn, when her hair goes up and Channel dresses replace the student uniforms and she awakens into the young woman in waiting. An Education is rich and classy, as is the fabulous, breakout performance from Mulligan.
MPAA Rating: PG-13
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