Susan Granger’s review of “An Education” (Sony Pictures Classics)
A suave, seductive thirtysomething man and a precocious 16 year-old…No, it’s not “Lolita,” it’s Danish director Lone Scherfig’s dramatization of British journalist Lynn Barber’s memoir about a young woman’s coming-of-age in suburban Twickenham in the 1960s.
David Goldman (Peter Sarsgaard) is a con-man; there’s no one he can’t charm. So when he offers a ride in his sleek Bristol roadster to a high-spirited, if naïve, cello-toting schoolgirl, Jenny (Carey Mulligan), slogging home in a driving rainstorm, she’s immediately flattered by his attention, confiding that she’s working diligently to get into Oxford University. When he subsequently sends her flowers and invites her to join him at a Ravel concert on the West End, Jenny’s sure her staid parents (Alfred Molina, Cara Seymour) won’t approve but, once they’ve been captivated by David, they not only give permission but, subsequently, allow her to accompany him for a weekend at Oxford – on the pretext of introducing her to C.S. Lewis – and, eventually, to Paris to celebrate her 17th birthday. Relishing this entrée to classical concerts, art auctions and supper clubs, Jenny’s amazed and enchanted by David, his ‘business’ partner, Danny (Dominic Cooper) and Danny’s dim-witted, beautiful girlfriend (Rosamund Pike) who lead a seemingly glamorous, free-wheeling lifestyle. None of this sits well with Jenny’s prim English teacher (Olivia Williams) or the school’s no-nonsense headmistress (Emma Thompson) who are concerned about Jenny’s future education. Of course, you’re waiting for the other shoe to drop. When it does, Jenny’s world is shattered. So the question is: can this resourceful young woman pick up the pieces?
Working from a clever screenplay by Nick Hornby, Scherfig’s greatest coup is in choosing the cast and crew. Sarsgaard delivers an opportunistic, nerve-rattling performance, while newcomer Carey Mulligan transforms from a gawky adolescent into a beguiling swan, aided in no small measure by Lizzie Yianni Georgiou’s make-up/hair design and John DeBorman’s culturally observant cinematography. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “An Education” is an engaging 8, with the title serving as a double entendre about a transformative “university of life” experience.
