The breakout role for Carey Mulligan, the 1960s set coming-of-age tale is that of suburban schoolgirl Jenny tempted off the beaten track by a man twice her age.
Studying for a hoped-for place at Oxford University, Jenny is the straight As dux of her Twickenham girls’ school. But then she meets the debonair David (Peter Sarsgaard) who, with a life in the West End, offers glamour and excitement. He even charms Jenny’s staid parents Alfred Molina and Cara Seymour. But fancy restaurants, jazz clubs, shopping on the Kings Rd and trips to Paris eventually take their toll.
A reflection of time and place and a woman’s limited options in society, An Education, directed by Lone Scherfig with a lightness of touch and with an excellent cast that includes a fabulously dumb partygirl Rosamund Pike, is a thoughtful, authentic take on the personal experiences of successful British journalist, Lynn Barber.
Nominated for 3 Oscars – best film, actress & adapted screenplay (Nick Hornby – About a Boy, Brooklyn) – in 2010.
Rating: 74%
Director: Lone Scherfig (The Kindness of Strangers, One Day)
Writer: Nick Hornby (Brooklyn, Wild) – based on the memoire by Lynn Barber
Main cast: Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman, Never Let Me Go), Peter Sarsgaard (Shattered Glass, Kinsey), Alfred Molina (Frida, Red)
An Opinion or Two 