An Education

There are countless films made about what happens when Mr Right comes along…but happens when Mr Wrong appears? An Education tells us.

Based on the memoirs of journalist Lynn Barber and set in the early ‘60s, just before Britain started swinging, this is a captivating portrait of a young girl on the brink of womanhood and her first glimpse of adult life.

The young British actress Carey Mulligan shines as Jenny, a serious girl in love with all things French who is desperate to shake off the constraints of her sheltered suburban London upbringing.

An excellent student, Jenny dreams of being accepted into Oxford and finding a bohemian lifestyle. She is introduced to the wonders of adulthood earlier than expected, however, by the smooth, assured, somewhat shady David (Peter Sarsgaard) who drives into her life in a gorgeous maroon Bristol and soon is her escort at a procession of smart concerts and clubs.

A self-professed graduate of "the university of life”, David charms Jenny's parents into letting him squire their daughter around by a strategic combination of flattery (for Jenny’s suspicious mother) and man-to-man talk with her small-minded father. Finally he manages to convince them to let him take their daughter away on an overnight trip to Oxford, a journey that will lead to a rude awakening and An Education for Jenny.

With a sparkling insightful script by Nick Hornby, An Education is far more than a simple cautionary tale; it puts great stock in the value of experience and of learning life’s lessons, however painful they may be.

Fresh, vibrant and bursting with love, life and nostalgia.