From the very first brilliant cue that accompanies his tricky though charming smile, you can tell that this debonair 30-something is not the good guy he pretends to be. Nevertheless sweet and smart 16-year-old Jenny falls for David's debauched joi de vivre not less than for his sporty car and cocktail parties.
Eager to live like an adult, albeit trapped in a middle-class suburban life in 1961 London, Jenny (Carey Mulligan) grinds at school, ploughing through Latin translations and brilliant English essays, paving herself a way to gain a much yearned Oxford bursary. Her daydreaming about wearing black, smocking and reading philosophers of the Exsistentialism crashes into an unsettling chance encounter with David (Peter Sarsgaard), a well-mannered man that easily gains the girl's parents affection. The under-the-rain setting of the encounter only adds to the momentousness of the meeting.
However, David drags Jenny into a life of fun and enjoyment, gambling and dancing. The Swinging sixties peep out in Jenny's life as she joins David's privileged lifestyle and his rich posse: handsome partner in fraudulent sales Danny (Dominic Cooper) and his beautiful though dimwitted girlfriend Helen, played by Rosamund Pike, whose performance is imbued with charm and grace in a Marilyn Monroe kind of fashion. When David takes Jenny to Paris for her 17th birthday, the girl finally experiments with her sexuality and fully enter adulthood.
The only character who seems to be aware of the danger of the liaison with the older man is Jenny's thoughtful English teacher (Olivia Williams). And as everybody encourages the marriage between Jenny and David, Jenny's mom (Cara Seymour) and dad (Alfred Molina) included -the latter relieved by the expenses saved for her daughter's education- the cracks in the couple's relationship become bigger and bigger until everything falls apart and the truth is unveiled.
Historia magistra vitae, said Cicero long time ago, meaning that history is our first teacher in life. Our own history in the first place. But a more conventional form of education can be an indispensable loophole. As in Jenny's case, as she struggles to win back her headmistress' backup.
The story has all the potential to be a weepie, but instead the drama is interspersed with sparks of vibrant hilarity, in particular in the character of Jenny's father, whose bigotry and dullness reveal nevertheless a warm-hearted fondness for his only child. Mulligan's debut performance is moving and refreshing at the same time. Genteel features and strong personality have never mingled in such a harmonious way before. No wonder, rumour has her as possible nominee for next year's Academy Awards.
Scriptwriter Nick Hornby played an important part in the success of the film. His rendition of journalist Lynn Barber's memoir adds wit and humour to the story. Memorable quotes make the film all the more enjoyable: bitter remark by Jenny's school headmistress "You are not a woman" or Jenny's confession to her teacher "I feel old, but not very wise".
Lone Scherfig crafted all the details of the film with composure and taste, making it a delightful ensemble: casting, score, costumes and overall cinematography make An education worth the ticket's price. Convincingly enough, for the first time since I'm here, nobody left before the end.
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