Review of An Education (2009) by Ashwin J — 23 May 2014

Girl meets older man. Man turns out to not be what he first appeared to be. Such is the plot of many a coming-of-age tale, and the general trajectory which this one follows. Set during London in the early 1960's, the story is about the winding path which Jenny (Carey Mulligan) takes to womanhood.

For what it is, the film is fine. The performances are all good, the film is photographed well and the soundtrack is eclectic and memorable. Too bad the story isn't. Carey Mulligan does an excellent job of playing a budding ingenue and Peter Sarsgaard plays the slimy, deceitful role that he plays so well.

Emma Thompson also shows up for a few scenes as the headmistress of Jenny's school. Would I watch it again? No, but I wasn't terribly disappointed. AN EDUCATION has a title with more than one meaning, and I was appreciative that film had at least that much depth, even if the period setting had a lot of retrograde social mores on display.

I suspect that teenage girls will enjoy this film the most, although one would have to be deaf, dumb and blind to not see the quality filmmaking on display.