One might not think that a story about a 16 year old girl’s seduction by an older man is a movie parents might take their 13 year old son to see, but I found AN EDUCATION, a great opportunity for complex, “coming-of-age” conversations in both life and fiction. It was fascinating to discuss the film with our son. The lens through which he viewed the story is very different from that of an adult. He brought no immediate prejudice to the narrative since life experience has not yet taught him that the disparity in age alone was a sufficient indicator that the relationship was doomed, if not downright dangerous, from the onset. Through his innocent eyes, he saw only David’s charms, beautifully played by Peter Sarsgaard, instead of the reptilian patience of a predatory deviant. Only when our son saw the heartbreak that revealed David’s true character did he come to understand that all the generosities lavished upon Jenny, fully realized by Carey Mulligan, had been distractions from the truth.
As a feminist mom, my big ax to grind in popular culture is vulgarism. I don’t want my son to grow up one more immature, boob-obsessed male with little understanding or appreciation of a female’s character or her anatomy and so I appreciated that the film did not weigh the impact of Jenny’s transgression on the loss of her virginity alone. Yes, the headmistress, a wonderful Emma Thompson, alluded to the fact that a non-virgin would not have a place in her school, but no one else, including her own parents, highlighted the loss of her virginity as the sole focus of her misguidedness. We are a culture that had devoted entire movies to plots revolving around losing one’s virginity, often stories that minimize this precious bridge to adulthood as something a character wants to get or get rid of. But in AN EDUCATION, betrayal was the true ruiner and I was glad for our son to see a movie that certainly did not make light of her loss but placed the emphasis on a broader set of values of which her virginity was only a part.
AN EDUCATION heartily has my Feminist Mom’s approval, however I don’t recommend it for every 13 year old and while I am often at odds with the rating system, I do believe that the MPAA got this PG-13 designation right. There is a significant amount of frank sexuality that is disturbing in the film. David’s peccadilloes include behavior such as baby talk, voyeurism and and using an inanimate object to de-flower Jenny, in order to “get the icky part over with”. These moments could be uncomfortable for some families yet I believe they are important to talk about. The tip-offs to David’s character flaws are not readily obvious to a teenager. They may not understand that his objectification, infantilization and fear of women is not healthy even though it is pervasive and often acceptable in media. This is exactly where I believe parents have the opportunity to talk to their kids about real intimacy and mature relationships.
At the end of the film, Jenny visits her teacher and begs her to help get back on track with her education. Seeing Miss Stubb‘s (a wonderful performance by Olivia Williams) sensual, bohemian apartment is a pivotal moment of awakening in Jenny, one in which she senses that “savoir faire” can be so much more than jazz clubs and sexy dresses. I was impressed that our son commented about that scene and stated that he thought that the filmmakers might have gone further to alter the teacher’s school-marmish appearance as well. He felt that the matronly glasses should come off, and that she might wear something pretty and feminine to further demonstrate hope and love of life. But he doesn’t have history to clue him in that her slim, black pants and tight bun, were drenched in arty relevance and that any minute she might have let her hair down and danced to the primitive beat. I was simply delighted that our baseball-playing,13 year old son, who would have much preferred seeing a film filled with blood and gore, grasped that delicate moment of Jenny’s transformation.
This wonderful film, directed by Ms. Lone Scherfig, was crafted with a delicate touch and a sophisticated, psychological sensibility. I was also dazzled by the performance and characterization of Helen, played by the transcendent Rosemund Pike, as a woman whose Barbie Doll looks don’t completely conceal her shorted circuitry. Along with Dominic Cooper as Danny, their characters enliven the film with a complicated resonance warranting a movie of their own.
My only slight quibble with the film are the very last lines of voice-over in which Jenny now makes herself the myth maker, delivering what boys want, the fantasy of the untouched female. It tarnished my version of Jenny the truth-seeker, but perhaps that is exactly the point. In any case, I’m thankful for a thoughtful, provocative film, one that provided many interesting conversations for his feminist mom.
Tags:
An Education,
Carey Mulligan,
Lone Scherfig
Half the Sky, the book by NY Times writers Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, has become a full fledged movement to recognize that women aren’t the problems in societies — we are the solutions.
Fish Tank is one movie I am psyched to see. Don’t know when and if it is opening here in the States. It opened in the UK last month.
“I’m a strange girl,” she sighs with a confessional chuckle. Not your typical romantic leading lady by a long-shot — yet twice as magnetic, accessible and risk-taking as any other quirktress (who has drawn comparison to Diane’s Keaton’s unforgettable Annie Hall) — arrives Paper Heart’s (neurotic) newcomer on the film scene, Charlyne Yi.
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