An Education

So sometimes a film will sit in my queue forever and by the time it pops up in the mailbox, I've quite forgotten why I stuck it in line in the first place. An Education was a little sleeper that sort of shocked everyone by getting a trio of Oscar nominations including Best Picture a couple of years ago despite the fact that almost no one had apparently seen it. No one went to see it because nothing blows up in it. That said, I loved it. Want to watch a smartly written, smoothly acted period piece that perfectly captures 1961 (albeit in Europe,) from the clothes to the cars to the feminist angst? This is your film.

Jenny (Carey Mulligan) is 16 and like all 16 year olds before and since - itching to get on with her life. Her father (Alfred Molina) dreams that she will attend Oxford where she might catch herself a suitable husband to assure her future, and all things bend to this singular goal. Bored with the drudgery of school and the simplicity of the average adolescent boy, Jenny finds herself enamored with the sophisticated David (Peter Sarsgaard,) a MUCH older rogue who gives her a ride home one rainy day. David is the bearer of a different life - of clubs, concerts and art galleries - all the things she's been waiting for. To stay the course or leap, to gain the education of books or of life? What 16 year old is up to that decision?

Carey Mulligan was nominated for Best Actress deservedly. Her Jenny is whip smart and yet sooo naive - it was a brilliant balancing act. Sarsgaard was deliciously slimy. And then you have Molina AND Emma Thompson in fine supporting roles. Director Lone Scherfig perfectly captures the era. But the real star of this film was Nick Hornby's screenplay. I can't remember when I've enjoyed dialogue this much. See the fine website here.