Film Review: An Education

Many people talk about how Up in the Air was so evocative of the time it was released, and while I do agree with that as endlessly as the next person, I apply that description much more towards An Education. Of course it's set a whole fifty years in the past, and in London as well, but for somebody from a lower middle-class family struggling to make it to and through college, this always rang rather true for me. Come to think of it, I doubt there's a film that puts this real period in everyone's life more fitfully and eloquently than this. Last year's The Kids Are All Right comes rather close, but it focuses far more on the family aspect of becoming an adult, not to mention the summery tone to it.

An Education is the story of Jenny Mellow, a dedicated student who's on the road to apply and be accepted into Oxford University. Out of the rain comes the charming and intelligent David Goldman, who wins Jenny over with class and ease. He introduces her to his upper-class friend Danny and his girlfriend Helen, somebody whose road through life is more than a little reminiscent of where Jenny is headed. Jenny's schoolwork takes a backseat as she's immersed and distracted by the world that David and his friends live in. She begins to question what it is that she wanted in the first place, as we all do at some point.

When you're introduced into a new set of friends, you start to lose sight of who you are as a person and become more of a member of the group. I never thought of it as quite so tragic a thing as it is painted here, but when the individual being lost is so beautiful and kind, that does offer something you want to hold onto. At the halfway point of this film, I had myself wondering whether or not she would convert completely into one of these people. It certainly would have been a much bolder move, and it would have made the film into something completely different. In some ways I cling onto that idea of what this film could have been, and then a retreat into the happiness and warmth of what actually happens.

The unfolding of David and Danny actually being con men makes the repeat viewing experience of the film all the more foreboding. The scary thing about the first half of the film is how intimidating Peter Sarsgaard is as David. He pulls the wool over Jenny's eyes, and whenever it seems like he's charming her, he is simply ridiculing her former way of life in hopes of ensnaring a young companion. He's a wolf, precarious in his moves and generally deplorable in his methods. That's not to say that people who do what he does day to day, conning people out of certain goods, are similarly deplorable. Their glorious way of life is only sustainable through that deceit and underhanded dealing. In a world like this, it can be seen as a necessary evil.

The way that Jenny goes along with the wrongdoing is really the way that we all wish we could live. We all envision a version of ourselves who lives free of such moral inhibitions and does what they like, but the world we live in just doesn't accommodate that. Then as the final act looms forward, we get an idea of the sweet life Jenny has lived with David finally going sour. We get an idea of the true emotional connections in Jenny's life, including her father, played wonderfully by the exquisite Alfred Molina. However the most vital connection in her life may be her favorite teacher, played by Olivia Williams. If she keeps taking on roles as endearing and wonderful as she has been, she'll be well on track for an Oscar one day, or should.

The entire film has you thinking about the numerous aspects of what is happening and what will be happening. Jenny is one of the most intelligent characters written in a while, portrayed wonderfully by Carey Mulligan, because she's not completely infallible in her actions. She makes mistakes, occasionally doesn't realize it, but is always quick to explain her actions. That's what is so great about this film is that all the characters have their flaws and make mistakes. It's those mistakes that define their characters and don't lead the story. Films should be driven by their characters and not their plots. You don't just fall into circumstances by accident, but by actions of others. Ultimately the ending of the film is optimistic, making a point that focus and time can be put to use doing anything that you choose. A simple message, but one that never seemed less cliche or contrived. The ending is a little wishy-washy, but it's more than forgivable.

A

Awards 2010: National Society of Film Critics

It's not really spreading the wealth if you mention the runners-up in the category, but I guess these precursors just wanted to give the losers the illusion that they just barely lost out. That's not really the case, because the rankings don't give any idea how big the gap in between may be, and it only makes people feel worse in any case. Ignoring the runners-up, The Social Network took away the most wins with the NSFC, and Olivia Williams (The Ghost Writer) continues to be an outside contender that we can dream will be nominated for the Oscars, but the odds are still against her.

Best Picture: "The Social Network"
Runner-up: "Carlos"
Second runner-up: "Winter's Bone"

Fragility, Bravery, and Sexiness: Best Female Performances of 2010

If yesterday's list of the best male performances felt a bit underwhelming, it's because this wasn't so much a year for men. This was a fantastic year for women, so much so that it it's become difficult to place final decisions on those two Oscar races. I've had several favorites throughout the past few months, and I think I've finally got my choices nailed down for both categories. Many are saying that this was a year of newly discovered actresses, which I believe to be a bit of an overstatement. Maybe it's because I had already discovered Chloe Moretz in last year's (500) Days of Summer, not to belittle her efforts this year. I'm hesitant to say she's the next Dakota Fanning, because I hate Dakota Fanning. Nevertheless, her disturbing dark and controversial performances in Kick-Ass and Let Me In have certainly made a name for her.

One of the greater acting showcases this year was The Fighter, which obviously contained the jaw-dropping performance from Christian Bale, but there were also the smaller gems from the film. Amy Adams is probably the most underrated of the group, because she gives a very tough, sexy, and somewhat skanky performance as Mickey's girlfriend Charlene. She gives something a logical compass for the film when Mickey's delusional family comes to misdirect him. Probably the most overrated performance is from Melissa Leo, who I admit gave a fantastic performance as the cancer faced mother of Mickey's family, and the person who really controls all the moves of her blessed white-trash children. However, she's not really given too much of a chance to shine, and her character's purpose is a bit too similar to Bale's character, and it edges on lunacy at times. She's an amazing actress, but this just isn't her time.

This is probably the most daring praise I'll give an actress this year, I was extremely impressed with Tina Fey's voice work on the film Megamind. She joins the ranks of other actors who emotionally transcended the animated genre, most notably Ellen Degeneres in 2003's Finding Nemo. Tina Fey's vocal expression brings a lot of the charm and sexiness to the character of Roxanne Ritchi. Rounding out the actresses who didn't quite make the cut for me is Rooney Mara who had merely two or three scenes in this year's greatest success story, The Social Network, but one of them happens to be the best standalone scene in the film. Her work as Erica Albright, the soon-to-be-ex-girlfriend of Jesse Eisenberg's Mark Zuckerberg, is surprisingly passionate and gives a feminist edge to the predominantly male driven film. The top ten actresses of the year after the jump!