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RATING:  
SINGAPORE : Coming-of-age movies are a dime a dozen, but none is as perfectly nuanced, perceptively presented, and wonderfully effortless as "An Education".
You could say its brilliance is partly due to the sensitive direction seen in Dane Lone Scherfig's glossy depiction of post-war, pre-sixties England, or to popular Brit author Nick Hornby's excellent and crisp screenplay adapted from journalist Lynn Barber's memoir. But this film belongs entirely to Carey Mulligan in a truly remarkable breakout performance.
Mulligan is 16-year-old Jenny, Oxford University-bound, and itching to shake off the constraints of her suburban, all-girls-school upbringing. She meets an older debonair gentleman David (Peter Sarsgaard) who sweeps her off her feet with a whirlwind moneyed life of nightclubs, champagne, fine art and jet-setting pals (Dominic Cooper and Rosamund Pike).
Her change of life plans troubles her favourite teacher (Olivia Williams) and principal (Emma Thompson) but, surprisingly, not her practical and social-minded parents (Alfred Molina and Cara Seymour).
The acting across the board is impeccable, with Pike wonderfully ditzy - a refreshing change from her typical ice-queen roles - and Molina and Thompson tightly wound and pitch perfect as always. Sarsgaard also perfectly captures the creepy charm and silver-tongued charisma to bring out the character's darker side.
But it is the luminous presence of Mulligan that elevates this already marvellous film to heights. Thanks to the bare bones of her performance - with all its naivete, passion, pain and forcefulness - we get to journey through our own education as wide-eyed as Jenny does.
Except for a somewhat faltered rushed ending, this is one film that successfully combines outstanding writing, directing and acting.
- TODAY/rs
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