An Education

Directed By: Lone Scherfig

Written By: Nick Hornby

Starring: Carey Mulligan, Alfred Molina, Peter Sarsgaard, Rosmund Pike, Dominic Cooper, Olivia Williams, Emma Thompson, and Sally Hawkins

Director of Photography: John de Borman, Editor: Barney Pilling, Production Designer: Andrew McAlpine, Original Music: Paul Englishby

Rated: PG-13 for mature thematic material involving sexual content, and for smoking.

    As soon as Carey Mulligan comes onto the screen in the new film, An Education, it’s almost hard to not fall in love with her presence. Ms. Mulligan is constantly restraining herself from large emotions, but yet is always conveying so much. Just watch how she bites her lip, or moves her eyes, or slowly forms a smile. She does so little with her exquisite face, but implies so much of the wonderment and troubles of her main character Jenny. A note to all new actresses—this is your new standard.

    And Ms. Mulligan’s terrific talents are tied into a film though, which is also a pleasure, but not the bright shining star of its lead. Directed by Lone Scherfig (Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself) and written by Nick Hornby (About a Boy), An Education is a curious period piece about growing up and discovering one’s own self, which makes it curious how Mr. Hornby, a male, adapts the story from Lynn Barber’s original memoir.

    Ms. Scherfig creates a wonderful atmosphere, as Jenny is a young, 17-year-old girl growing up in 1961 suburban London. The straight edge world of the 1950s is not yet gone, and the Beatles have not yet arrived, but Jenny is searching for something more. Her working-class father, played with both parody yet compassion by Alfred Molina, only sees Oxford in her future, but Jenny wants something more, which happens to come in the form of Peter Sarsgaard as David. Despite being more than a few years older, David introduces her to the real world—art, music, bohemian friends, and Jenny falls in love with it all.

    But how long can the fairy tale last, An Education asks. And to a certain extent, the film isn’t all that groundbreaking in story, and many will come disappointed at a final, voiceover monologue that ends the film. But there is a certain beauty in how Ms. Scherfig captures their life. It’s full of delicate beauty, wondrous dresses, and steaming music. And then there’s always Ms. Mulligan, who makes poetry out of the simplest of dialogue, and lets us follow her heart into this strange temptation. Many of Britain’s finest—Rosmund Pike, Dominic Cooper, Emma Thomposn, and Sally Hawkins—make brief, but extremely memorable performances.

    In the end, An Education will not really educate viewers on its views of life—it just never reaches its full potential, like many of Mr. Hornby’s screenplays. But there is something inexplicable and wondrous about being tempted into this world. Maybe its just Ms. Mulligan. If it is, I don’t really care.