I find myself truly loving this movie. The individual performances are all profound, but Carey Mulligan really exceeds in every way. It was amazing to see that she is actually 24 years old. She looked like a 16-year old and not a year older. And that's what really sold me into this film. I felt every bit of discomfort and young innocence I was supposed to from the storyline.

Really, not enough can be said for Carey Mulligan's performance. She portrays a 16-year old girl, going on 17, who struggles with the boredom of being an upstanding woman in the early 60s (not an easy task). Meanwhile, she dreams of traveling, learning foreign languages, listening to French music, and simply finding herself. The problem is her father, played brilliantly by Alfred Molina, is bent on her living the expected lifestyle. Now, what I loved is that he didn't play the prototype father in this situation. You're probably thinking he'll be violent and angry and throw plates and such. Instead, he really wants his daughter to be happy, and his perception is simply one-track.

When David (Peter Sarsgaard) begins wooing her parents and convincing them that he is a good man and wants their daughter to be happy, they buy into it. Everything about him is too good to be true, and you continue to anticipate some revelation or moment of violence. Something does happen in this film that changes everything, but I promise it is not what you expect. The natural attitudes towards the sexual tension between the two characters is unbearable at times as a viewer. How normal it is for an older man to court a not-even-17-year-old is hard to watch. But I never felt it was fake. Rather, it seems perfectly adequate and believable. You get swept up just like Jenny throughout the film. It all feels too good to be true, but you forget about that and simply enjoy the early 60s parade of love and music and romance.

It's the ups and downs and back and forths of this young girl's experience that takes you away. There is so much to experience and she goes through most of it. It truly is an A-B-A-B-A storyline. you get tugged every which way and you can't help but express your concern for a girl that doesn't know what's best for her.

The film thrives on the personalities and the performances. There is a great plot in there as well, but the emotion put on display really drove me as an audience member and I am deeply grateful for it. I wasn't sure if An Education would be boring, exciting, or just interesting. I didn't expect to be taken for a wonderful ride and it's unfortunate that the film may get lost in the shuffle of 2009 and become a forgotten gem.

Grade: B+