Friday, May 21, 2010

An Education



Today, I stayed home sick from school and watched "Valentine's Day" and "An Education." Valentine's Day brought light-hearted joy (and ps, I think every celebrity ever is in that...) but Carey Mulligan's performance in "An Education" really made me think...

"A suburban London teen finds her traditional education replaced by something slightly more sinister when an older, more worldly suitor sweeps her off of her feet while placing her future in jeopardy. London, 1961: 16-year-old Jenny (Carey Mulligan) is smart, attractive, and eager to start her adult life. She's grown tired of the familiar adolescent routine, so when urbane newcomer David (Peter Sarsgaard) appears in town, Jenny senses a rare opportunity to shake things up a bit. Quickly falling under David's spell, the impressionable Jenny begins accompanying her newfound beau to classical concerts, art auctions, crowded pubs, and dinners that stretch into the small hours of the night. But Jenny is brighter than most kids her age, and her parents always dreamt of getting their exceptional daughter into Oxford. These days it seems like she's headed in a different direction -- will David ultimately be her undoing, or the person who helps her finally realize her true potential?"
-Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

It made me realize how so many women throw away their dreams and individuality in hopes that someone else will take care of them. Jenny started out with her own ideas but then gave all her hard-work up to be engaged to a man much older than her...only to findout he was married. She was left feeling empty and useless. She then worked hard to continue to pursue her dream of studying English at Oxford University.

This story just makes me realize how I hope to puruse my dreams and use my talents and become the independent individual that I know I can become. That being said, I hope to find someone to spend my life with that will support me in my dreams and encourage what I want. Love is a scary thing and can often alter people but the message of this movie was to stick to your core and follow what will make you happy.

"If I get to University I'm going to read what I want and listen to what I want and I'm going to look at painting and watch French films and I'm going to talk to people who know lots about lots."
-Carey Mulligan as Jenny

"Well, after I've been to University, I'm going to be French and I'm going to Paris and I'm going to smoke and wear black."
-Carey Mulligan as Jenny
"If we never did anything, we wouldn't be anybody."
-Carey Mulligan as Jenny

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