An Education

"Precious" (See previous post), is set in 1987 New York City. "An Education" is set in 1961 England. Very different worlds, basically the same story. These are coming of age stories and their structure is almost identical. Both young women struggle with home lives that stifle personal growth. In Precious' case, violently physical and emotional abuse. In the case of "An Education", it's far more subtle. The abuse takes the form of social constrictions, both in class and gender. All very English. Of course Precious is virtually incapable of self-expression. This is not the problem with "An Education"'s protagonist Jenny (played admirably by Carey Mulligan). Jenny is hyper-verbal.
It is so interesting to me how films so different in style and setting can tell so similar a tale. A story well told finds universality in its message when it allows an audience to discover truth despite the window dressing of time or place or circumstance. Jenny and Precious both struggle to overcome the oppressive weight of their home life and both know in their heart that the path to redemption runs through education. Both of these actresses (Sidibe and Mulligan) are asked to do the heavy lifting in their respective stories and both manage the task so admirably that they are in contention for Oscar nods. They both deserve it.
Peter Sarsgaard does (in the English vernacular) a bang-up job as the deceptive older lover of Jenny. When I say he has everyone fooled, it includes Jenny, her parents and even the audience. And when he's revealed in the third act for what he really is, the revelation is both obvious and surprising, a credit to both writer and actor.
"An Education" provides the audience with an enjoyable ride through pre-Beatles England. The English have a way with stories about teenage girls and this one fits in nicely with the likes of "The Prime of Miss Jeanne Brodie" and "To Sir, With Love".