Remember the Name Carey Mulligan!

There are many reasons I can list in the coming space to encourage you to see a little movie I just watched called An Education: the beautiful recreation of 1960’s London and Paris; the witty and incisive story of a woman’s carefully observed place in education and society; the sure-handed direction of Danish filmmaker Lone Scherfig. However, the raison d'être that is absolutely the most compelling I can think of for you to move this terrific movie to the top of your Netflix queue is so that you can behold the stunning performance of Carey Mulligan.

She plays a young, high school age girl, who loves to read brilliant literature, listen to French music, and talk to her friends with splendid assurance about the many diversions that lie beyond the quaint stone walls of her home in Twittenham. Her goal is acceptance into a literature program at Oxford, believing that such an education is the most obvious door to the world of which she so desperately wants to be a part. And, after all, “there’s such a lot of world to see,” as Audrey Hepburn once sang. Here I pause to conjure up the image of Hepburn’s Holly Golightly not merely out of superfluous dexterity, but rather to provide you with a solid mental reference with which to compare Mulligan’s performance. For not since Hepburn herself graced the great silver screens has an actress possessed such a marvelous spirit and quality of wondrous watch-ability.

Her Jenny is the trophy of all her teachers, the object of many boys’ attentions, and a constant pride for her loving and supportive parents. But then one rainy day, the older, sophisticated and handsome David pulls up in his sporty car and offers her a ride home. She is immediately taken in by his charm and his carefree consumption of worldly luxuries. He seems to enjoy her maturity and intelligence but mostly is taken by her wide-eyed desire for what he can afford her. This is definitely a movie about seductions and advantages taken, but don’t immediately jump to any conclusions regarding scenarios of older men and their exploitation of young girls’ naiveté. Jenny is naïve, but she is not dumb. David, for her, is a shortcut to the world. The relationship offers them both opportunities for gain. But as with many shortcuts taken in life, ironically lessons are often learned the hard way.

An Education, for all of its tough realities, is a thoroughly enjoyable and often very romantic movie. The magical scenes in Paris will make you want to fall in love, hop on a flight to France, and stroll the Rue de la Paix with your arm around somebody significant. As a matter of fact, that’s exactly what I am going to do. And so, I will be posting next week from Paris. So while I make my way to The City of Lights, I encourage you to go and pick up a copy of An Education, and see what I’m talking about when I say that Carey Mulligan is simply dazzling.

Until next week, here is my hope that we all find out Shangri-La. Au revoir.