Issue date: 11/10/09 Section: Film & Music

Carey Mulligan puts in a fine performance as Jenny Photo: Mongrel Media

It is becoming more and more rare to find a film whose lead character is not only a smart, intelligent female, but also an active agent in the narrative. Yet An Education, adapted by Nick Hornby from Lynn Barber's memoir of the same name, does just that. This time capsule to 1960s suburban London tells a familiar coming-of-age story, but it does so in as un-Hollywood a manner as it can.

Sixteen year old Jenny (newcomer Carey Mulligan) is an over-achieving cellist who is pressured by her parents into spending all her time working towards getting into the university of their dreams, Oxford. Jenny, in her suburban existence, desires culture - specifically that of the French variety. Whether listening to Juliette Greco records instead of studying for Latin, or dropping French phrases whenever she can, Jenny is always demonstrating her knowledge, but craves finding it elsewhere. Luckily for her, she finds it in the much older David (Peter Sarsgaard), who quickly sweeps her off her feet and charms her hard-nosed, albeit well-meaning, parents.

Unsurprisingly, as it turns out, the lives of David and his friends are not as perfect as they appear to be, and Jenny must make some morally culpable decisions. It's difficult when this circle- including David, his charming friend Danny (Dominic Cooper) and Danny's well meaning though psychologically unemployed girlfriend Helen (Rosamund Pike), do everything they can to make Jenny feel smart and special. She gets caught up in these adults' games, but never lets herself get completely lost. Things go from morally grey to black by the end of the film, leaving Jenny far from the position she imagined herself in.

The most refreshing part of the film is the agency that Jenny takes. She willingly gets involved with a group of people who are far from the "right" people her parents wish her to be with. She knowingly participates in deceiving her parents, and in criminal activities, jeopardizing her chances at Oxford. Every action is done consciously and she is as responsible for what happens to her as every other character. The humanity of the film, which stems from its loyalty to the memoir and avoidance of familiar Hollywood tropes, ensures that no character is entirely guilty or innocent. With this un-Hollywood quality of the film Jenny is not a clueless heroine being swept away by a sinister older man, but an intelligent, mature young woman who makes a mistake and struggles to rectify it. Mulligan shines, both self assured and vulnerable, successfully playing off the series of contradictions that make her character so authentic.

The winner for Best Cinematography and the Audience Choice Award at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, Lone Scherfig's An Education is beautifully shot and wonderfully acted, and one of the most authentic portrayals of a young woman on screen.

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