AN EDUCATION: See It!

Last week I was excited to finally begin my Oscar-season movie viewing when I headed over to the Uptown Theater, grabbed a bag of popcorn, and plopped down in a seat for Lone Scherfig's Sundance-favorite, An Education.

I was initially excited to see the film because of the reputation of both its director and its starring cast, but I left the theater impressed not only with the talent it employed, but the grasp of the film itself. Jenny (Carey Mulligan), is a sixteen year-old student at a girls school in 1960's suburban London, and despite some stickiness in her studies of Latin, she is bound for an Oxford education. She is the smartest girl in her class, and is praised by her instructors, most notably her English teacher (Olivia Williams), who is her woman role-model in academia. She has doting parents, played by a hysterically awkward and gullible Alfred Molina, as well as Cara Seymour, whose lack of outright sophistication allows them to be as easily wooed as Jenny by the charms of David (Peter Sarsgaard), a man she meets who is twice her age. After giving her and her cello a ride one rainy day, David takes Jenny down the rabbit hole of the adult world she's never had, taking her to parties, clubs, concerts, and exotic cities on a regular basis. Of course, it is not all fun-and-games, as Jenny's involvement with David and his less-than ethical livelihood eventually threaten her standing in school, her relationship with her peers, and her Oxford future. Add David's glamorous friends, Danny and Helen (played by a suave but caring Dominic Cooper and a blissfully "blonde" Rosamund Pike), and the recipe for Jenny's sojourn "off the chosen path" gets more potent.

I won't let you in on any of the dicier plot details, because much of the roller coaster that David takes Jenny (and us) on stems from ignorance of just exactly what is going on, but I encourage everyone to go and see the film for themselves. The film is set to show at the Uptown all month, so eat your turkey and pie and get there!