An Education

Title: An Education

Director: Lone Scherfig

Year: 2009

Country: UK

Studio: BBC Films/Sony Pictures Classics

Rating: **** (4/5)

Based on the true story of a teenage girl growing up in 1960s London, An Education is exactly what its title implies -- a coming-of-age film in which the naive, but intelligent, main character has her life turned upside down by a whirlwind romance with a man twice her age. Of course this kind of film has been made plenty of times before, but what separates this one from the pack is that it's not necessarily a romantic picture, but one that is a cautionary tale for young women everywhere.

The story focuses on Jenny (Carey Mulligan), a 16-year-old girl from the outskirts of London who when we first meet her is attending Catholic school, studying feverishly hard in hopes of getting into Oxford. She spends most of her free time studying or playing the cello in her school orchestra, which is where we meet her boyfriend, a shy, unassuming teenager named Graham (Matthew Beard). Jenny brings Graham home to meet her parents, but her father (Alfred Molina) is put off by Graham's decision to take a year break before university in hopes of seeing the world. The dinner is full of awkward tension, and once it's over, Jenny seems a little embarrassed of Graham.

Enter David (Peter Sarsgaard), an older man who upon meeting Jenny as she walks home in the rain wastes no time charming her with his worldly knowledge and eloquent, sophisticated ways. He offers to take her to see a classical concert in London so she can be exposed to the real thing, and while at first she seems hesitant, she accepts under the condition that David must convince her parents to let her go. David meets her parents and makes quite the impression; her father is an intelligent man, but next to David he seems boring and ordinary. Reluctantly, he allows her to go, and Jenny is enthralled by this exciting new world. She's introduced to some friends of David -- the equally sophisticated and charming Danny (Dominic Cooper) and his girlfriend Helen (Rosamund Pike), a girl who at first mocks Jenny's youthful and strange ways but over time grows to accept her as a part of the group.

David continues to expose Jenny to all sorts of new things, including art, fancy restaurants, and eventually, his seedy way of life. While we're led to believe that Danny and David are art dealers, we actually learn that they're essentially thieves who use their charm to con older, scared Brits into giving them their artwork or selling them their real estate properties. At first Jenny has her reservations about this and seems to want out, but David uses his charm once again to lure her back in -- this time with a trip to Paris, a city Jenny has dreamed about going to for as long as she can remember. David shows her everything in Paris and the two eventually consummate their relationship, which leads to an eventual marriage proposal from David.

While Jenny is smitten with her ever-evolving relationship, she begins to lose interest in her schooling and begins taking it out on her teachers. She makes a few rash decisions based on the impending marriage proposal to David only to find out that he is hiding something from her, devastating their relationship and causing it to end. With her life in ruins, she must decide whether or not she has the courage to mend all of the fences she had destroyed, a feat that proves to be all but impossible.

Though the film has its quirks (and like all films, mistakes), it makes up for them with its clear storytelling path and non-judgmental delivery. While any other actress would have made the role of Jenny into an unlikeable brat, Carey Mulligan is a sheer delight to watch on screen. The audience is deeply invested in her, despite the fact that they know she's making awful mistakes throughout the movie. Comparisons to a young Audrey Hepburn are inevitable, as she really takes the role and nails it -- she's a little too smart for her own good when it comes to school, but her naivety is evident as she's thrown into more sophisticated situations. At the end, what we have is a character that solidifies the whole film and makes it an enjoyable one, despite some of the upsetting scenes located within. An Education is just that.

Fish Tank

Title: Fish Tank

Director: Andrea Arnold

Year: 2009

Country: UK

Studio: BBC Films

Rating: **** (4/5)

Movies with a lot of hype are a dangerous breed. They can either rise to the occasion and sweep the Oscars like Slumdog Millionaire, or all of that positive praise can backfire, leaving you with a disgruntled batch of movie fanatics and a film that isn't worth its own weight in celluloid. If you're an American judging the film solely from the previews, the newest film by British director Andrea Arnold (Red Road) would seem more likely to end up in the latter category -- but after careful consideration and attentive viewing, it's clear that Fish Tank has a lot more to offer than just your usual film festival trite.

Newcomer Katie Jarvis is absolutely fascinating as Mia, a 15-year old girl living in Essex whom often gets in her own way with her attitude and dysfunction. Her character is intensely troubled, full of both bitterness and love, cynicism and curiosity. Recently expelled from school, she spends her days drinking by herself, dancing to old school hip-hop in an abandoned flat near her own, and fighting with her apathetic mother Joanne who seems more interested in her own appearance than making sure her daughter is doing something productive. Mia and Joanne often clash over typical mother-daughter things, but once Joanne's new boyfriend Connor comes into the picture, it becomes clear that things are about to get interesting.

As a viewer, it's hard to make up your mind about Connor. At first, he seems like another scumbag boyfriend content on mooching off of Joanne, but as the film goes on we begin to see his softer, more nurturing side. He takes genuine interest in both Mia and her sister, Tyler, and although Joanne would much rather Connor's attention be all on her, they begin to function a little bit like a family. Mia is instantly attracted to her mother's new flame, but it's not really all that clear if she is just sexually attracted to him or if she sees him more as the father figure she's so obviously been lacking.

Connor seems to be the only person who notices that Mia is more than just a temperamental firecracker. While he acknowledges that she is troubled, instead of ragging on her he uses her own issues as a way of bonding with her. He encourages her amateur dancing, although it's pretty clear to the viewer that she's not very good at it. But what matters is that he believes in her, and it helps fuel her attraction toward him. After one drunken night, Mia and Connor have sex while Joanne is passed out upstairs -- an event that seems to almost traumatize them both as soon as it's over. Connor assures her that they will discuss it in the morning, but come morning Mia wakes up to find him gone and her mother crying.

Though other reviews and plot synopses bill this movie as something that becomes almost a battle between mother and daughter over the same man, it's not at all. In fact, nothing is ever really mentioned about it. Joanne is a selfish woman and appears to take interest in men over her children, but barely is it even implied that she would take Connor's side over her daughter when sex is involved. In fact, because the movie goes the other way with the subplot, it makes it that much more of a triumph. Fish Tank lacks all of the cliches that could possibly sink a film of its kind. It's a refreshing look through the eyes of a lost youth without all that Hollywood crap piled on top. It features a realness not found in a lot of films, and because it's not at all what the previews and reviews told you it would be, it's an absolute treasure.

Introduction

My name is Vera. I'm a 26 year old music/movie buff from New Jersey. I've been critiquing music "professionally" since 2002, when I was 19 years old, but have always wanted to expand my writing to cover the movie medium. So, I started this blog to help with my desire to write about the films I care about or want the world NOT to care about. I'm not the 'negative nancy' reviewer who bashes movies for the sake of bashing them; I do have the ability to recognize merit despite a lackluster execution. You won't be seeing any 0 star reviews from me -- I think they're unprofessional. The movies I will be covering will be both old and new. If you're into it, good. If not, go read somebody else's blog. I don't really care. -V