October 23rd, 2009 5:20 pm

An Education

Thanks to well defined characters, seductive performances from a great cast and Nick Hornby’s ability to twist together a great story, ‘An Education’ is a lesson well-worth taking.

There is no doubting ‘An Education’s’ ability to subtly seduce you with its charms. Without a doubt, its way of working around the questionable themes without being exploitative is one of the very intelligent standouts of Nick Hornby’s great screenplay.

Yes, this does show the burgeoning relationship between a 16 year old girl and a 30-plus year old man. Yet, perhaps more shockingly than the relationship itself, is feeling that it doesn’t seem all that bad… to begin with anyway.

Jenny is equal parts bright and naive, studying at school and just about ready to take the leap to university. The air of boredom in her monotonous life is then gently given a nudge when she meets the effortlessly charming David. He has everything she wants; the attraction of a life free of burden and expectations at seemingly no cost. It is too good to pass up as she falls deeper into the allure of good music, food and art.

However, Hornby peppers the plot early on with a few hints to suggest things aren’t exactly all what they appear to be. How coincidental was their first encounter? How exactly does David afford this wonderful life? We don’t know the specifics at first, but we all know what the story is and the plot eventually takes us right to them. It’s a tough lesson to learn for young Jenny, and all it takes is one moment to destroy any chance she has at her dream life.

It comes across a tad preachy at times regarding its comment on education itself, but the whole idea of trust, love and attraction through the eyes of youth is handled very well here. While it perhaps takes a few liberties here and there; to suggest teens would be as honest as Jenny is with her parents is a little much, the depiction of how easily people can deceive others is the real dramatic uptick. When you consider this is set in the 60’s, before the advent of the internet, the level of deception required for such trickery here puts into perspective the simplicity of such a charade these days.

Sarsgaard is his usual excellent self as David, capturing the subtleties and idiosyncrasies of such a character with a scarily accurate demeanor. It’s Carey Mulligan as Jenny who is the real treat to watch though. The older-than-she-seems qualities exude the kind of sensibilities needed for such a role, giving more credence to the character than would otherwise have been. While none are as well developed as the leads, Hornby also gives enough material to supports, including a brilliant Olivia Williams as Jenny’s teacher, to ensure they are more than just catalysts reacting to the events happening in the foreground.

While the character elements of the plot are pretty well honed here, the story itself nigglingly doesn’t lend itself to as much accuracy. Even though its set in the early 60’s, it does feel like a stretch at times that her parents could be so easily lead by David’s often forced eager-to-please appearance. And when David is exposed, considering the effort put into hiding the truth, it feels kind of thankless the way it’s all revealed in the end.

Even the ending itself feels kind of rushed. Once its point is made, it does kind of run out of steam and take the quick way with its resolution.

Showing honesty in the face of dishonesty though is what its all about though, and ‘An Education’ paints it with broad strokes. If it feels slightly exaggerated, it’s only to illuminate its ideas. You don’t feel uncomfortable about the relationship until it turns sour. And that it never exploits the situation to the point of uncomfort lends itself to the fact that there is romance at its heart. It’s a feeling that extends throughout the movie, and makes it better for it. It’s definatly a lesson worth indulging in.