An Education


I watched An Education today, a period, coming of age, drama which recently had quite an Oscar buzz about it. Set in the 1960s London, it tells the story of a teenage school girl(Jenny) from a conservative background and how she discovers the of essence of life and love. And it makes the viewers look at the theme of education from different perspectives.
Pushed by her parents to do well in school so she can be accepted to a college in Oxford University, she meets an older man(David) unexpectedly one day who introduces her to the finer things of life; jazz, cafes, art, music and Paris. Her parents are taken in by David and loosens up in their ways with Jenny. Her grades slowly slip and finally she does not take her school final exams but in stead decides to marry David.
One evening on their wat to a restaurant Jenny discovers a shocking truth about David which turns her life upside down. She blames her parents for not stopping her, she says "You are my father again, are you? What were you when you encouraged me to throw my life away? Silly school girls are always getting seduced by glamourous older men but what about you two?"
What I loved about the movie is that though it's a movie based on an autobiographical book by journalist Lynn Barber, it might as well be any girl's across any time period. It resonates with you; as a teenager, as a parent or even as the seductive glamourous old man, his friends who knew all along what was happening but never thought of warning her or even the wronged wife! You could be any of those characters and you will identify with them, you will be reminded of someone who you knew was one of them. Also we need more parents like in the movie, not that they should be taken in by these sort of men but more inclusive in their children's lives, parents who accept their mistakes in stead of standing there telling you you were wrong, and who can try to make it alright.
It's real and believable and full of hope. It's a beautiful movie about real education which includes both the formal institutions of education as well as what we call life as an educator.
So Jenny finally went to oxford and this is what she says in the end "One of the boys I dated, and they were boys, suggested that we go to Paris and I said I'd always wanted to see Paris. As if I'd never been!"
It's a real treat so watch it if you get a chance.

Comments

Kuntala said…
tomar lekhata poRe ekta aprasongik kotha mathay elo. prothom prem, bhul ba thik jai hok na keno, aamar mone hoy seta ektu overrated. maane ek nombor premiker sathe Milleneum park jotokhani romanchokor, triteeyojoner satheo totokhani i. prothomjoner sathe fuchka kheyechhilam, take katiye diyechhi kintu nostalgic hoye fuchka chhaRar moto hNadamo kore naki keu......

ar prosongoto, lekhata khoob sundor. poRe cinemata dekhar ichhe baaRchhe.
Joy Forever said…
That goes into my viewing list then. Already lekha ta poRe mone holo kichhu character ke chinte parlum nijer ase-pasher lokeder modhye theke.

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