> An Education
Directed: Lone Scherfig
Cast: Carey Mulligan, Olivia Williams, Alfred Molina, Cara Seymour, Matthew Beard, Peter Sarsgaard, Dominic Cooper, Emma Thompson.
Rating: (M)
4 stars (out of 5)
Reviewed by By Mark Orton.
The real strength of An Education rests with Danish director Lone Scherfig's measured character observation and Nick Hornby's unlikely lad-less script.
Based on the memoir of British journalist Lynn Barber, the story of how a 16-year-old schoolgirl becomes involved with a man twice her age is not terribly remarkable, but that is not the point.
Subtly constructed around Carey Mulligan's superb performance as Jenny, Scherfig and Hornby do a remarkable job of setting up early-1960s London and the lives of the middle classes.
Emerging from the cloistered 1950s and on the cusp of swinging excess, Jenny's quest to explore life extends well beyond the confines of her staid middle-class existence and religious education. It is hardly a surprise then, when she gets involved with David (Peter Sarsgaard).
The fact that David's past and shady business affairs shadow proceedings, never leave you in any doubt that an unfortunate revelation is just around the corner.
What makes An Education shine is the ease with which Jenny's strict parents are seduced by the charm of her much older admirer.
A little like the awkward exchanges that are synonymous with Mike Leigh's Secrets and Lies, the strength of An Education is its emphasis on seizing life, even if that involves moments of moral ambiguity.
Hornby may have taken some licence with Barber's story, but he has a real knack of making an audience care for his characters. What could have been incredibly tedious is far from it.
Best thing: The wonderfully whimsical exchanges between Jenny's father, Jack (Alfred Molina), and herself.
Worst thing: Having to leave the characters and the evocative setting after 95 minutes.
See it with: Some knowledge of Lynn Barber.
