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An educationFinishing schoolAN EDUCATION Here’s a rare thing: a new British film that is both realistic and enjoyable, with a believable plot, sharp dialogue, classy acting and themes worth serious consideration. Based on a memoir by the journalist Lynn Barber, An Education tells the autobiographical story of a clever, pretty sixth former who is seduced by a smarmy and stylish older man. There is perfect period detail, which will be appreciated by anyone who recalls Morris Minors and Dansette record players. The setting is London in 1961: things are beginning to swing in Chelsea and Rachman-type property dealers are going about their seriously dodgy business. Jenny is bright and is preparing to take her A levels and hoping to win a place at Oxford, whither she is being pushed by her social-climbing, ambitious ‘money-doesn’tÐgrow-on-trees’ father. But she sees through his small-mindedness and perceives her present life as boring and, worse, ‘bourgeois’. She longs for something more exciting, more chic and is completely taken in by the charm of David with his superior experience, his flashy cars and his affluent lifestyle. The actors are superb: Emma Thompson as the snooty headmistress, Alfred Molina as the brash but insecure father, Rosamund Pike as the clueless, purely decorative girlfriend and especially Carey Mulligan as the arrogant but naive schoolgirl, Jenny. The viewer sees a range of people, all being driven by something, all being seduced by lies. As well as being an enjoyable and stimulating evening out, this is a film you could watch or discuss with an unbeliever. What lies seduce us? And see if they can spot the fallacy in the film. For an important question is posed by Jenny herself: what actually is education (and life) for? The film itself fails to answer that question. Esme Shirt© Evangelicals Now - December 2009 |