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Lone Scherfig, An Education
12/01/2009 Anybody who’s been following awards buzz all year long has no doubt heard good things of Carey Mulligan. And those high marks are not unfounded. It’s something when an actor can almost single-handedly pull you into a story with seemingly little effort. It’s even more impressive when they can do it at a relatively young age. Mulligan plays Jenny, a somewhat rebellious teenage girl living in a modest London suburb who, despite her good grades and sharp intellect, is not altogether satisfied with the way things are going. She wants to ditch Latin and go to Paris, much to the chagrin of her dad (Alfred Molina). Mulligan has an innocence to her that allows you to empathize with her when things take a turn for the bad. Even when it’s obvious that she’s making a poor decision, you still feel for her, because after all, she’s just a kid, one that wants so desperately to fit in with the cool crowd. Molina is an actor you can usually count on to deliver when he’s on screen, and he doesn’t disappoint here. He provides a lot of the film’s comic relief, as well as nailing an emotional scene towards the end that’s likely to cause some audience members to go for the tissues. The story really takes off after David enters the picture (Peter Sasgaard), a handsome, smooth older man who gives Jenny a lift one day and, not too long after, begins a relationship with her. It might seem like a creepy situation ordinarily, but somehow, the pairing of Mulligan and Sarsgaard seems to work. The idea of American actors using British accents is always something to be wary of. Sometimes, they manage to pull it off, but more often than not, listening to Don Cheadle in Ocean’s Eleven or Scarlett Johansson in The Other Boleyn Girl is more distracting than it is believable. Sarsgaard, however, makes for a fine Englishman. After a few nice dates, everything appears to be going swimmingly for the couple. Jenny seems happier, frequenting swanky clubs and high-class events with her new beau and his friends (Dominic Cooper and Rosamund Pike). Even Jenny’s strict parents seem enthralled with the charming David. But Jenny’s newfound sense of adventure doesn’t quite sit well with her teacher (Olivia Williams) and school headmistress (Emma Thompson), both of whom see David as something of an obstacle between Jenny and her ultimate goal, Oxford. Williams makes every scene she’s in count, and Thompson needs only but a few seconds to seek her claws into you to demonstrate how quickly she can completely command the screen. Jenny soon discovers for herself that David may not be the perfect man she once thought him to be, and while he and his friends may participate in some highbrow entertainment, they engage in some pretty lowbrow hobbies. An Education, while not perfect or entirely unpredictable, is still a great cinematic find. It’s already made a star out of its young lead (rightfully so), and it should be among the nominated films for Oscar’s top prize come next year. Comments [post a comment]Comments are closed |
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