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.