Jenny is the central character in An Education, a bright and singular girl with dreams of the sophisticated life that she knows awaits her once she gets beyond her parents straitlaced home and the prim girl's academy she attends. A chance meeting with an older man offers her a shortcut to the life she imagines, but her eagerness blinds her to the larger picture of what is really going on. The film retains its' innocence by being set in 1961, and the advances of the smooth talking David seem tantalizing rather than the predatory reality they are. If the film were set in present day, his character would end up in prison. But Jenny survives and grows through the experience. Her portrayal by Carrie Mulligan is outstanding, and worth of consideration for American and British Academy Awards. Show less «