“How can you not have insurance?”
“Because I spent my money on the Clapco D29, the most impenetrable lock on the market today. It has only one design flaw, the door must be closed!”
The University of Life
I usually can tell the when a good movie has made its mark; when I can still feel the groove the following day. Little scenes of the film repeat and provoke further thought. It’s almost as if you’re reliving something which struck a chord. It’s been a while since I watched such a film, but An Education, the latest film from Danish director Lone Scherfig certainly left it’s impression.
There’s something very honest and very comforting about British film-making. It’s a style of its own, in the same way that a French film is, yet it’s somehow less pompous, being rather more British, wanting to hide its light under a bushel. In this respect An Education tries its best to poke a finger at staid british values, only to come back with its tail between its legs. I suppose it should have known better.
The story is billed as a coming of age tale, a story of a young woman and an older man’s love affair. He is well mannered, rich and likes to live it up. She is young, idealistic, intelligent and eager to explore the world outside her dull classroom; preferring to spend time listening to french music, and smoking cigarettes. Their two worlds come together and fit hand in glove. All this glamour and money and music and restaurants sweeps the young girl off her feet, and makes her grow up fast. We get to come along for the emotional roller-coaster.
What makes the film so delightful, and ultimately so emotionally stirring is that it portrays so beautifully how a seventeen year old girl still has enough of an understanding that life is supposed to be fun, holding much of the knowing that adults have long forgotten. They seem to have forgotten what the point of life is, trudging about in their attitude of ‘duty, and discipline’. We cannot help but be trasnported back to those days, and feel enormously for it.
Our protagonist makes her case and she makes it with humour and a clarity that is undeniable. Why then is she so cruelly treated by the film’s script? I loved the freedom of expression, the youthful exuberance, and letting go of all inhibition that only a teenager has, but the moral of the story that was promised me, never materialized. I won’t spoil the party, but let’s just say the happy ending was more pleasing to the parent in you than the child, validating the role model’s behaviour. It reminded me of many a mis-spent youth with more emphasis on duty than on having fun and following your heart. Of course we all know that people are supposed to go out and make mistakes, but to imply that a freedom seeker is somehow wrong for wanting to delight in the best that life has to offer, just grates incredibly and makes me feel sad. Maybe this is what it means to be British?
Rosamund Pike and Carey Mulligan in their sixties chic
It seems the notion of ‘An education’ is that you should get one, rather than ‘it’s not all its cracked up to be’. And that notion I found to be very British. You could say I like and dislike the same aspects of the film. And I see the dichotomy of flawed Britishness in my own life and my own experiences. Discipline and duty are wonderful for creating soldiers and spies, but as the world changes, what will become of the rest of us?
Overall, excellent and heartfelt performances from the cast, notably the female lead, Carey Mulligan has a bright path ahead of her (she shines like a young Emily Mortimer), Olivia Williams dusts off her ‘Rushmore’ schoolmistress look, Emma Thompson is a wonderfully prim Head Teacher, and Alfred Molina plays the girls father perfectly. Male lead Peter Saarsgard puts on a well executed and thoughtful performance, mixing together dreamy infatuation with a nervous enthusiasm which gives the viewer a clue as to his true nature. The lovely Rosamund pike is a great 60’s ‘blonde’. All in all, the cast performance is exceptional and truly engaging.
Period wise, the director Lone Scherfig has done a marvellous job. To see a Twickenham residential street with just two cars parked in it was quite a reminder how far we’ve come in 40-odd years. Overall I found the film thoroughly enjoyable, funny and thought provoking, with not quite the ending I was hoping for, but I’d watch it again with the girlfriend. Somehow I feel like I understand my parents a little bit better. ****
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
