Given a choice between a lavish lifestyle of fun and games or sitting in a high school classroom studying literature, hardly any adolescent girl would find the latter more appealing. Based on a memoir by Lynn Barber and adapted into a screenplay by popular British author Nick Hornby, "An Education" smartly and convincingly portrays a young woman who finds her life turned upside down when she begins an impromptu romance with a suave man nearly twice her age.
"An Education" tells the tale of Jenny (Carey Mulligan), a young student living in London, England circa 1961. Jenny appears mature beyond her 16 years of age, as she listens to orchestral music and Juliette Greco, finds adolescent boys insipid and is infatuated by the air of maturity in French culture. The pressures of her traditional parents and a dream to study literature at Oxford University force Jenny to suppress her desires to experience the excitement and unpredictability of the world beyond her structured, suburban bubble.
Nonetheless, Jenny soon becomes fed up with practicing the cello and writing compositions for school, and everything changes when she meets David (Peter Sarsgaard), a successful, smooth-talking Jewish businessman in his early thirties.
David sweeps Jenny off her feet, promising a life of fun and sophistication with late-night music concerts, exclusive art auctions and glamorous trips to Paris. Jenny quickly ditches her road to Oxford, choosing to sip champagne and smoke Russian cigarettes at swanky clubs with David and his stylish friends instead. Though Jenny loves the freedom of her new life with David, she eventually finds that growing up too quickly may not have been all that she had hoped for.
"An Education" is a strong film in part because of the playfulness of the dialogue and interactions between the characters. Hornby's thoughtful adaptation of Barber's book truly shines in the juxtaposition of two meet-the-parents scenes. Graham (Matthew Beard) is a gangly teenage boy whose desire to impress Jenny's parents leaves him fumbling over his words as he fidgets in his seat at the dinner table. David's success and charming wit make for the perfect foil to Graham's boyish ways, as he charms Jenny's mother with compliments and jokes with her father as if they've been friends for years.
"An Education" also succeeds in making the relationship between 16-year-old Jenny and 30-year-old David believable. Although romances between older men and younger women are hardly uncommon in films, chemistry is sometimes forced and awkward across the age gap, leaving audiences feeling uneasy. Mulligan and Sarsgaard are refreshingly convincing in their portrayal of Jenny and David, and their budding romance appears organic and real.
Sarsgaard has an undeniable charisma and nonchalance that make it easy for audiences to see why Jenny is so quick to fall in love with David. But while Sarsgaard does a noble job of holding his own in the film, he is still no match for Mulligan, whose understated beauty is captivating to watch on screen. She is poised and clever, effortlessly embodying a young girl with a thirst for independence and adventure. Throughout the film, Mulligan brilliantly captures both the naïve confidence and hidden insecurities of Jenny's character as she struggles to find her place in the world.
"An Education" is an enchanting, real-life coming of age story bound to move audiences. With Hornby's thoughtful screenplay and Mulligan's outstanding, feisty performance, "An Education" is a film worthy of its Oscar buzz.
