An Education

I present to you another film in the running for the least heard of film of 2009! Just kidding. But seriously, no one saw this movie. This film is about a 16-year-old British girl named Jenny in 1961. She meets an older man, David, and is quickly infatuated with the way he sweeps her away from her boring and strict parents and into a world of music, culture and fun. Her infatuation leads her to overlook some very suspicious aspects of David’s character. His infatuation with her leads him to do some rash things of his own. By the end David is revealed to be quite a different man than he is first supposed. Her parents and friends are just as smitten as she is, the only person in this film that seems to see the underlying problems with their relationship before it is too late is her teacher, Miss Stubs.

This is basically a coming-of-age tale, the protagonist of which comes out the other end wiser and with her two feet firmly planted on the ground. Or that is the general idea. My biggest problem with this film is the “so what?” factor. Once this story is over, she continues her life precisely as she would have without having experienced these events except now she KNOWS things about the world. So what? The whole film is about her asking questions as to the point of her life so far and those questions don’t get answered in this movie she just ceases to feel the need to ask them anymore. I still can’t decide if this film is pro or anti-establishment. Jenny’s father, the source of confinement and frustration, is a symbol of the establishment, but so is Miss Stubs, Jenny’s role-model and ultimate friend. At the same time David represents the anti-establishment and is a symbol of both freedom and of unfulfilled expectations. Jenny herself represents both the establishment and the contempt of it.

Entertainment- 6- I actually quite enjoyed watching this film, although had I not been going to review it would have been perfectly happy to immediately forget it.

Award-worthy- 5- this film gets halfway there. It asks the questions, but does not deliver any satisfactory answers and the film-making and performances are only adequate.