An Education Review

“A lesson learnt outside the classroom! ”

Written on: 09/03/2010 by erena (102 reviews written)

A lesson learnt outside the classroom!

An Education is an example of British cinema at its best! Sophisticated characters that develop with every scene bit by bit, a tension that something is going to happen but not sure exactly what! I had no doubt that I am going to enjoy it and I totally did!

The story goes around a teenage girl, Jenny (Carey Mulligan) who under the watchful eye of her parents, studies hard to pass her exams for Oxford where she wants to study English literature. Although she hasn't been much outside of Twickenham she dreams about art, paintings, Paris and French music.

On one rainy day she meets the much older than her David (Peter Sarsgaard) who introduces her to a completely different lifestyle: clubs, restaurants, art auctions, the posh London borough of Chelsea, horse racings, countryside weekend breaks and even takes her to Paris.

The plot and the editing of the film do not rush to portrait David as the bad guy. Even the relationship between the two seems quite real and I really found myself waiting under suspense to find out what is going to happen. Is Jenny going to get herself in a big trouble, is this old guy going to put her in some big danger?

I felt that the film is really about how easily young people who have not experienced much of what the world has to offer outside the comfort of their home- school- home zone can get lured by the exciting life of the rich. They seem to find education and school boring and they dare to have the wildest dreams about their own life: "I am going to be French and wear black!" I also felt that teenagers have the right to feel that way and although this whole affair puts Jenny in great disappointment she has learnt the lesson of a lifetime!

It is a brilliant performance by Carey Mulligan, totally deserves her Bafta award and her Oscar nomination. Just as the film itself deserves its nominations for best film, may be even it deserved to win!