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SEEN @ SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2009: AN EDUCATION
AN EDUCATION won the Audience Choice award and the Cinematography award at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.





AN EDUCATION (Running Time: 95 min; Not Yet Rated)
Reviewed by Denise Castillón

Set in the early 60’s during Britain’s post-war/pre-Beatles period, AN EDUCATION is a brilliantly executed account of a young girl’s seduction into adulthood by a charismatic and, seemingly, worldly man.

Intelligent and pretty, Jenny (Carey Mulligan) is relentlessly prepped for admittance into Oxford by her conservative parents, cleverly played by Alfred Molina and Cara Seymour. With a keenness for existentialism and a passion for everything French, Oxford represents Jenny’s opportunity to be finally free from her old-fashioned parents and her eventual move to Paris.

This seems like very much an executable plan. Until the life-altering day, outside her elite girls’ school, Jenny has an enchanting encounter with the debonair David (Peter Sarsgaard), an older man.

After bewitching Jenny, David arrives at her home to mesmerize her parents, who eagerly agree to let him take out their school-aged daughter to a concert, followed by a late dinner at a nightclub. On their date, she is introduced to his beautiful and sophisticated friends, Danny (Dominic Cooper) and Helen (Rosamund Pike). From then on, Jenny exchanges her boring old life for the exciting new world David now offers, and transforms into a gorgeous, young lady -and grownup.

This multi-layered drama does contain plenty of humorous situations, such as when Jenny and David travel alone to Paris to fulfill Jenny’s plan of losing her virginity on her 17th birthday. At the moment when David presents a banana to “get the messy bit over with.”, she protests, “I don’t want to lose my virginity to a piece of fruit.”

Moral issues as well as new ideas of feminism are also explored. For instance, when Jenny questions her headmistress, played by Emma Thompson, “Why are you educating us?!”, as to the ultimate purpose for thrusting young girls so vigorously towards higher education. 2009 Sundance World Dramatic Competition Film


In the end, Jenny learns that she cannot take a shortcut to the life she wants to live, and divulges to her favorite teacher, “I feel old, but not very wise.”

AN EDUCATION’s stellar line-up consists of up-and-comer Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard, Alfred Molina, Dominic Cooper, Rosamund Pike, Olivia Williams, Emma Thompson, Cara Seymour, Matthew Beard and Sally Hawkins.

This UK production was directed by award-winning Danish filmmaker Lone Scherfig (ITALIAN FOR BEGINNERS), and was based upon a memoir by British journalist Lynn Barber and adapted by popular English novelist Nick Hornby (HIGH FIDELITY, ABOUT A BOY) for the screen.

Creative team led by director of photography, John de Borman, (LAST CHANCE HARVEY, MISS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY). Production designed by Andrew McAlpine and costumes designed by Odile Dicks-Mireaux.

Produced by Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey. Executive producers are James D. Stern, Douglas E. Hansen, Wendy Japhet, David M. Thompson, Jamie Laurenson and Nick Hornby. Presented by BBC Films and Endgame Entertainment.

Lone Scherfigs’ AN EDUCATION won the Audience Choice award and its’ director of photography, John de Borman, won the Cinematography award at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival’s World Dramatic Film Competition.

Financed by BBC Films for $12 million, Sony Pictures Classics has acquired North American and Latin American rights for AN EDUCATION for under $3 million, reportedly after a heated bidding war with Fox Searchlight. Irregardless, the film-loving audience is the ultimate winner here.