So, it has been a while since I've written in here. Things have been so hectic! Started an acting class at the beginning of this month and it has been really great. So now, I'm having a moment to update here and boy do I have a lot to update! I've watched quite a few films and I will try to get them in here so I can start watching some more. Sometimes a film is released that you think is going to be interesting but won't go that far. That happens most of the time with indie films.
"An Education" is a film directed by Lone Scherfig and starring Carey Mulligan, Peter Saarsgard, Dominic Cooper, Rosamund Pike, Alfred Molina, Cara Seymour, Olivia Williams, Sally Hawkins, and Emma Thompson. The film is based on a true story written by the woman who Carey Mulligan portrays. It takes place in 1961 in England and a young girl Jenny is charmed by an older man, David, and after that her whole world changes. He and his friends whisk her away to concerts, jazz clubs, and even Paris. Despite the wrong things that David and his friends do, Jenny overlooks it because she's enjoying herself so much. All the while her studies at school are suffering and her dreams of going to Oxford dwindle over time. It really compares getting an education through school and getting an education in the world and I think that's one of the many great things about this film making it a nominee for the Best Picture Oscar. David proposes marriage to Jenny and she has to make a tough decision between school and her life as a cultured young woman. Carey Mulligan, the film's lead, delivers a very layered performance that garnered her an Oscar nomination and she's definitely a talent to watch out for. The thing about her performance is that it sneaks up on you because it is so subtle. Peter Saarsgard is solid in this but I felt that his british accent might've been a little flat. I can totally understand it because that accent is hard to accomplish and anytime an American actor plays an English character people expect them to screw it up. He is good enough for this film though. I also thought that Rosamund Pike was really great in this. She was a supporting character and she really played her role faithfully as the wife of David's friend who chooses to be unaware of what David and her husband are doing. She plays ditsy but she's very well aware of her place as a woman and doesn't say anything. Even though she can, but she chooses to enjoy the fancy life instead no matter what the cost by making excuses for the men's behavior to Jenny. It's a very underrated performance.
As far as the look of the film, it really captures the heart and soul and dreariness of 1960's England. Before Jenny meets David, her life is very bland and the palette that was chosen for the film really captures that. You really feel the lifeless and dreary life of Jenny and her family. Then she meets David and the colors become more vivid and the palette becomes brighter. Especially when they go to Paris, it's absolutely beautiful. The production value of this film is impeccable and they really took the time to flesh everything out. You can really tell when filmmakers really take the time to flesh out the story in every way that they can because the finished film looks fantastic. That's always a very important thing to do no matter what your budget is. I guarantee you if you take the time to flesh out every little thing about the mood, the characters, the story, and the music, you'll have a stellar film. Your film is your baby and while you're pregnant with it, you have to nurture it so it can come out healthy.
I highly recommend this film to anyone who likes a good story and who values good production values. It hits stores March 3oth.
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