An Education…True To Life
Carey Mulligan and Peter Sarsgaard in An Education
AN EDUCATION (2009/IN THEATERS) has received glowing reviews since it premiered at Sundance this year and won the Audience Award there (as well as the award for Cinematography). As many, many reviewers have already said, we can certainly expect to see Carey Mulligan (Jenny) up for a Best Actress Oscar for her mesmerizing performance. Perhaps Alfred Molina will be recognized in a Supporting Actor nomination for his convincing (and funny) portrayal of Jenny’s father. And Peter Sarsgaard is marvelous as well.
One word of warning, however. The ending of the film is out of character with the rest. It comes up suddenly and rather neatly–caught me by surprise and left me with a less glowing opinion of the movie. As Peter Travers of the Rolling Stone said, “…shame about the tidiness of the ending.” Which makes you wonder: were the filmmakers and Nick Hornby, the screenwriter, “selling out?” Why did they feel a “happy ending” was required? Why end such a lovely messy story with a rushed 10 minute wrap-up?
The answer: the ending is real. Poking around, I found the article by Lynn Barber which inspired Hornby’s screenplay (http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2009/jun/07/lynn-barber-virginity-relationships). Read to the end and you’ll find, as I did, that the film and its ending are both indeed true to life.
Grade: A
Nick Hornby has a real tendency to ruin the prospects of his writing with tidy endings.
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