Recent Release Reviewed!!!! An Education

An Education


Director: Lone Scherfig
Screenplay: Nick Hornby
Based on the memoir by Lynn Barber
















We complain a lot about the state of British cinema. And the state of British television, but that's for another time. Let's face it, we do have a lot to moan about. One of the most frequent complaints is our apparent addiction to that fluffiest of sub-genres: The period costume drama. Now, it's arguable that An Education is very much in that vein. It's certainly drama, the actors are wearing period clothing, drive around in vintage cars, and yes, it's definitely set in the early sixties. Oh, and it stars such seasoned veterans as Emma Thompson, Olivia Williams, and Alfred Molina.



But the whole enterprise has a wonderful sense of energy and vigour to it. This is in no small part due to the performance from Carey Mulligan in the lead role of Jenny. Jenny is in her final year at school, studying hard for her Oxford exams under pressure from her parents Jack (Molina) and Marjorie (Cara Seymour). One day she meets David (Peter Sarsgaard), a suave older man who gives her a lift. David quickly introduces her into a world of wealth and, perhaps most importantly, fun. Before long Jenny is going to Oxford, and even Paris. Her parents are far from unsusceptible to David's charms, and are easily won over by his charisma and apparent connections. But even as things seem to be going perfectly, Jenny slowly realises that David may not be quite who he says he is. Soon she has to choose between a chance at Oxford, and the glittering world David may be able to provide.



I must admit that, no matter what Carey Mulligan does, I will always see her as Sally Sparrow from the fantastic episode of Doctor Who, Blink. She was fantastic there and she's fantastic here, giving Jenny the right mix of innocence and intuition that allows her to look beyond the less pleasant realities of David's way of life in order to keep exploring the world he offers. Jenny does occasionally run the risk of becoming unlikeable; she's a little pretentious, but also genuinely insightful. But we keep rooting for her largely because of Mulligan's wonderful performance, and because, to paraphrase a Kramer quote from Seinfeld, her "unbridled enthusiasm".


Coming back to that period costumed drama theme, one big difference is the casting of Peter Sarsgaard as David. The actor is undoubtedly talented, and while it seems a little strange to cast an American as the male lead, he works. His accent wanders a little, but for the most part he's excellent; narcissistic, smooth, but also desperately insecure. He also plays well off Dominic Cooper (who would have been pehaps a more obvious choice for David, given his looks) and Rosamund Pike, who play his companions. Cooper shows some range as the David's "business partner" Danny, who's more frank about their work. Pike is especially hilarious as the dimwitted but affable Helen, who pleads with Jenny not to go to Oxford because she'll become "spotty and speccy". She also gets to wear some wonderfully garish costumes, contrasting with the grey and brown that permeates the world that Jenny's become used to. In Scherfig's film, Twickenham is a grey, rainy dead end. Jenny dreams of Oxford and Paris, and, accordingly, the director shoots the two cities as sunny, dreamy heavens.


A review of An Education wouldn't be complete without a few gushing sentences praising Alfred Molina's performance. The scenes that he shares with Mulligan the underrated Cara Seymour are wonderfully written and performed. We are quickly convinced that the last push towards Oxford is what Jack has been waiting for since Jenny was born, and the pressure he puts her under comes entirely from love. But he's also more than willing to accept David as his daughter's suitor, as he believes he can take care of her financially. He's as excited as Jenny by the dashing David, with his expensive cars, Goonies impressions, and connections. Cara Seymour is superb as Jenny's more permissive mother, who is both pleased with her daughter and terribly melancholy thanks the lifestyle she and Jack have to lead in order to support her. Olivia Williams is also excellent, investing the "stern teacher with a heart of gold" with depth and a not a little sadness.


Scherfig shows a surprising sense of what life was like in London at the time for a Danish director, aided by Hornby's canny script. If one thing works against An Education, it's that it's all a little predictable. But this was never going to be a film with twists and turns. From the moment David shows up in his flash car, firing chat-up lines, we know he's sure to turn out to be a bad 'un. I must also mention that I thought the scenes with Emma Thompson's matter-of-fact headmistress were a misstep. A lot of what works about the film comes from the nimble, clever script. But when Jenny has her two confrontations with the teacher, subtlety is set aside in favour of "telling the audience was the film is about". But when a film is as enjoyable, and well-shot and performed as this, predictability and a couple of scenes that don't really work aren't really too big an issue.

7.5/10