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An education - Peter Sarsgaard, Carey Mulligan, Alfred Molina, Lone Scherfig

Threat advisory: Elevated - Significant risk of entertaining activities

Movie propaganda

It's 1961 and attractive, bright 16-year-old schoolgirl, Jenny (Carey Mulligan) is poised on the brink of womanhood, dreaming of a rarefied, Gauloise-scented existence as she sings along to Juliette Greco in her Twickenham bedroom. Stifled by the tedium of adolescent routine, Jenny can't wait for adult life to begin. Meanwhile, she's a diligent student, excelling in every subject except the Latin that her father is convinced will land her the place she dreams of at Oxford University. One rainy day, her suburban life is upended by the arrival of an unsuitable suitor, 30-ish David (Peter Sarsgaard). Very quickly, David introduces Jenny to a glittering new world of classical concerts and late-night suppers with his attractive friend and business partner, Danny (Dominic Cooper) and Danny's girlfriend, the beautiful but vacuous Helen (Rosamund Pike). David replaces Jenny's traditional education with his own version, picking her up from school in his Bristol roadster and whisking her off to art auctions and smoky clubs. Just as the family's long-held dream of getting their brilliant daughter into Oxford seems within reach, Jenny is tempted by another kind of life. Will David be the making of Jenny or her undoing?

Theatrical propaganda posters

Target demographic movie keyword propaganda

Film coming-of-age drama girl sex prep school sophistication UK scam con artist lifestyle excitement Britain 50s

Persons of interest

Peter Sarsgaard .... David
Carey Mulligan .... Jenny
Alfred Molina .... Jack
Dominic Cooper .... Danny
Rosamund Pike .... Helen
Olivia Williams .... Miss Stubbs
Emma Thompson .... Headmistress
Cara Seymour .... Majorie
Matthew Beard .... Graham
Sally Hawkins .... Sarah
Amanda Fairbank-Hynes .... Hattie
Ellie Kendrick .... Tina
Nick Hornby .... Screenwriter
Lone Scherfig .... Director

Cinematic intelligence sources

An education official movie sites:

An education film production notes
An education QuickTime movie trailers
Awards and film festivals:

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS - Oscars) 2010: Nominated: Performance by an actress in a leading role (Carey Mulligan), Best picture, Adapted screenplay
Film Critics Circle of Australia 2009: Nominated: Best Foreign Film - English Language
Sundance Film Festival 2009: Won: Audience Award World Cinema - Dramatic (Lone Scherfig), Cinematography Award World Cinema - Dramatic (John de Borman); Nominated: Grand Jury Prize World Cinema - Dramatic (Lone Scherfig)

Studios and distributors:

Paramount Pictures

Intelligence analyst

Special Agent Matti

Theatrical report

No-one ever took me to Paris when I was sixteen. I had to wait until I was thirtysomething and even then I paid for it myself. Bastards.

I've run into a few girls who are 16 going on 32 and they just don't give a shit about what they do to other people. They have almost no understanding of the concept of consequences (other than "If I don't do this I won't get what I want). They are, in a phrase, spoiled brats. Jenny is saved from being completely obnoxious by going out with a man who is "inappropriate" - as these girls so often do - in the sense that he is much older, feckless, a wastrel and a criminal. By choosing the wrong sort of man she gets messed around and eventually starts to grow up. In my experience, they girls simply find another "inappropriate" man to replace him (see also drug use, teenage pregnancy, physical abuse and issues).

This is a movie for people who went through the 50s (or the 60s if you lived in New Zealand) and want to remember how it was. See also Vera Drake, Wondrous oblivion, Intimate relations, Sixty-six.

The coming-of-age, drama movie An education is directed by Lone Scherfig and stars Peter Sarsgaard, Carey Mulligan, Alfred Molina.