February 27, 2011
HBO
Lone Scherfig
Writers:
Nick Hornby (screenplay), Lynn Barber (memoir)
Stars:
Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard and Alfred Molina
In the early 1960's, sixteen year old Jenny Mellor lives with her parents in the London suburb of Twickenham. On her father's wishes, everything that Jenny does is in the sole pursuit of being accepted into Oxford, as he wants her to have a better life than he. Jenny is bright, pretty, hard working but also naturally gifted. The only problems her father may perceive in her life is her issue with learning Latin, and her dating a boy named Graham, who is nice but socially awkward. Jenny's life changes after she meets David Goldman, a man over twice her age. David goes out of his way to show Jenny and her family that his interest in her is not improper and that he wants solely to expose her to cultural activities which she enjoys. Jenny quickly gets accustomed to the life to which David and his constant companions, Danny and Helen, have shown her, and Jenny and David's relationship does move into becoming a romantic one..
This was actually based on a article/memoir written by Lynn Barber a British journalist, who writes for The Sunday Times.
Here's an interesting article on her time at Oxford http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1299123/Lynn-Barber-blamed-broken-heart-sleeping-50-men-Oxford--real-story.html
It's a coming-of-age film and a period satire on 1960's England. Of course, I'm a 80's child and don't know much about this time except from what I see on tv and of course, the Beatles movies (A Hard Day's Night, Help!).
The themes are time universal though,
a girl on the verge of womanhood, but also an exploration of issues such as social class, racism and the value of education
at 16 year old, we are all told what to do, what we need to do.. Go to school to get a job. we go to school to prepare ourselves for life.. to go to the university to get good jobs.. but as Jenny the main character realizes:
Jenny: Studying is hard and boring. Teaching is hard and boring. So, what you're telling me is to be bored, and then bored, and finally bored again, but this time for the rest of my life? This whole stupid country is bored! There's no life in it, or color, or fun! It's probably just as well the Russians are going to drop a nuclear bomb on us any day now. So my choice is to do something hard and boring, or to marry my... Jew, and go to Paris and Rome and listen to jazz, and read, and eat good food in nice restaurants, and have fun! It's not enough to educate us anymore Ms. Walters. You've got to tell us why you're doing it.
Carey Mulligan gives a wonderful performance. (She's actually 24 playing a 16 year old) she just blooms.
Wide Eyed and innocent.. we see her grow in this film..
Peter Sarsgaard is creepy and i don't understand how a parent can let their daughter go out with a guy like that.
a little predictable and no real consequences with all the naughty behavior being done.. (she dropped out of school, we don't see how hard it is for her.. we just see in the next scene that she asks for help then she's back to her road towrds applying to Oxford)
It's still a good movie and Carey Mulligan is cute as button.
7/10
