Title: An Education (2009)
Director: Lone Scherfig | Writer: Nick Hornby (based on Lynn Barber’s memoir)
Cast: Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard, Rosamund Pike, Dominic Cooper, Emma Thompson, Olivia Williams, Alfred Molina
Genre: Coming-of-age, drama | Setting: Suburban London, 1961
Notable: Carey Mulligan’s breakout role; multiple award nominations
1. Plot and main characters
Jenny Mellor is a bright 16-year-old schoolgirl in 1961 London. She studies hard for Oxford, plays cello, and obeys her strict but loving parents, who want a respectable, careful life for her. Everything changes when she meets David, a charming, much older man with a nice car and effortless confidence. David opens a door to a glittering world Jenny has only seen in books—concerts, nightclubs, auctions, restaurants, even Paris.
- Jenny (Carey Mulligan): Clever, curious, confident, eager to see “real life” beyond homework and Latin.
- David (Peter Sarsgaard): Smooth, wealthy-seeming older man who courts Jenny and impresses her parents.
- Danny (Dominic Cooper) and Helen (Rosamund Pike): David’s sophisticated friends; Helen is kind but naive, dazzled by luxury.
- Mr. and Mrs. Mellor (Alfred Molina, Cara Seymour): Jenny’s practical, class-conscious parents, easily swayed by status.
- Miss Stubbs (Olivia Williams) and the Headmistress (Emma Thompson): Teachers who embody two types of guidance: patient support vs. cold judgment.
At first, David’s world looks magical. He flatters Jenny’s parents with gifts and “respectability,” persuading them to let her travel with him. But there are red flags: David and Danny make money with shady schemes, including pretending to help an elderly neighbor to quietly steal valuables. Still, Jenny is infatuated—by romance, culture, and the promise of a shortcut to an exciting life.
2. Meaning: what the film is really about
The title “An Education” doesn’t only mean school. It means the lessons life teaches—about trust, class, desire, and truth. The film shows the difference between learning for grades and learning from experience. Jenny believes culture—music, art, travel—equals adulthood. But the film asks: What is the price of skipping steps?
Jenny’s “education” has two tracks:
- School: essays, Latin, Oxford exams, strict rules.
- Life: glamour, seduction, lies, and consequences.
She discovers that charm can hide rot; that adults are not always wiser; and that class aspiration can blind people—especially her parents—to danger. The simplest message is this: real growth comes when you combine curiosity with integrity and patience. Fancy restaurants and Paris are not wrong; they’re just not a substitute for character. The film shows how easy it is to mistake glitter for gold—and how hard, but rewarding, it is to build something real.
| What Jenny thinks | What is actually true |
|---|---|
| David = freedom, culture, love. | David = manipulation, crime, secrets. |
| Paris + parties = real adulthood. | Real adulthood = choices + responsibility. |
| Shortcuts will save time. | Shortcuts can cost more in the end. |
3. Ending explained
The turning point comes when Jenny learns that David is already married. He has lied to everyone, including her parents. The fantasy shatters. David vanishes from her life, leaving behind embarrassment, broken trust, and no plan for the future. Jenny has quit schoolwork, believing she would marry David and skip Oxford. Now she is stuck—hurt, angry, and scared.
What happens next matters most: Jenny visits Miss Stubbs, the teacher she once dismissed. Miss Stubbs doesn’t judge; she helps. Jenny asks for a second chance—to re-study, rewrite her application, and face the admissions process honestly. It is slow, humbling work. But this is the real “education” the title promises: taking responsibility, rebuilding, and choosing effort over illusion.
- Jenny apologizes to those she misjudged, especially Miss Stubbs.
- She studies hard to repair the gap left by months of distraction.
- She reapplies to Oxford on her own merits.
In the final voice-over, Jenny explains she was accepted to Oxford and later dated a boy her own age. This is not a fairy tale twist; it is a quiet correction. The ending says: you can recover from a bad choice without erasing it. The experience does not make her cynical; it makes her clear-eyed. She keeps her love for books and beauty, but now she understands the cost of shortcuts. The “glamour” she wanted is not gone—it is just repositioned. She will reach the world she imagined, but through her own work, not through someone else’s lies.
Key takeaways:
- Glamour without honesty is a trap. David’s world looked rich but was hollow.
- School is not the enemy; it is a tool. With Miss Stubbs’ help, Jenny turns back to study and finds real independence.
- Parents can be wrong. Their desire for status makes them easy to fool, which warns us that respectability alone doesn’t protect anyone.
Why the ending feels subtle: there is no big courtroom scene or dramatic revenge. Instead, the film chooses realism. People make mistakes; shame burns; life goes on. Jenny’s greatest victory is internal: she reclaims her path. The final image of her cycling at Oxford (and her calm narration) tells us she has learned to balance curiosity with judgment. 🎓
If you left the film confused, remember this simple map:
- Act 1: Seduction (charm, culture, speed).
- Act 2: Complicity (Jenny and parents accept the shortcut).
- Act 3: Exposure (the marriage reveal) → consequence → repair.
The ending is not about punishing Jenny—it’s about how a smart person gets smarter the hard way, and how a young woman claims her future on her own terms.