Education Comes from Many Places

An Education

Directed By: Lone Scherfig

Starring: Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard, & Alfred Molina

I imagine that watching An Education is about as close to watching your own daughter make the same mistakes as Carey Mulligan's Jenny as you can get without actually having a daughter. You will feel angry, sad, and frustrated, but it is worth it. An Education is a marvelous movie, elegant and poignant. It follows Jenny, a naive sixteen year old schoolgirl who feels stifled by her strict father (Alfred Molina) and her schooling. She wants to have fun, to listen to French music, and to attend nice concerts. When a charming, but older man named David (Peter Sarsgaard) happens upon her one day and offers her a ride, she is immediately smitten. He invites her to a concert, introduces her to all of his interesting friends, and promises to bring her to Paris with him. She knows that this is just what she needs and wants out of life...and even her parents, however intelligent they might be, are charmed by David, who has a way of making them agree to anything, usually by insisting that his Aunt Helen will be their chaperon. I'll give you a little hint; he doesn't have an Aunt Helen and, even if he did, I doubt she would be accompanying them on their overnight trip to Oxford. Alas, Jenny's parents fall for it hook, line, and sinker. Obviously, we know better. We know Jenny should be more cautious...but, then again, David isn't winking at us, is he?