There are moments in film where you can literally see a star being born. Such examples would be Judy Garland in "The Wizard of Oz" or Johnny Depp in "Edward Scissorhands". It's in this rare instance that an actor gets a chance to make a character special, one that shoots them off into stardom. It should be quite obvious as to where I'm going with this: Carey Mulligan is a star in the making. Obviously she has been around for a while, having bit parts here and there, but this was her time to shine and she takes it for all it's worth.
Yet, before I begin to gush over Mulligan herself, I must give the film as a whole the proper respect it deserves. Certainly Mulligan is the key to the film, but the material itself is more than good. The film, based on a memoir by Lynn Barber, takes place in 1960's suburban London. It follows 16 year old Jenny (Mulligan), a clever and beautiful girl who's working her way to Oxford, not anymore out of her own interest than it is of her father's (Alfred Molina), who feels that those without a proper education are doomed to the streets. With this idea in mind, her father indirectly coaxes her to join clubs and play instruments as a means to add another positive chip to her application to Oxford. Obviously an inherent angst comes from Jenny; she wants to be free and young, but in order to have a life worth living down the road, she must subject herself to listless studying and a stilted social life. This lasts for a while until David Goldman (Peter Sarsgaard), a somewhat rich man twice her age, enters her life and begins to court her. Initially his courting is more focused on exposing her to the world at large, a world she could only explore in a book,but eventually it turns into romance.
David is mysterious, but he's just as charming, which allows him to circumvent Jenny's parents and take Jenny away to places like Oxford and Paris for days at a time. Suddenly, a sheltered Jenny now finds herself jet setting (well more like car setting) her way around on the dime of David. She is finally having the fun and living up to the youthfulness that her age suggests, and she is falling head over heels for David. Nice cars, high end meals, socialite friends, and man to take care of her. An education now is a fleeting idea when high class is willing to unravel its red carpet. This idea is further exacerbated when Jenny's father does a complete 180 under the guise that if a woman has a man taking care of her, an education isn't warranted. This would be all fine and dandy if David is who he says he is, but he isn't and ultimately Jenny throws everything away for a man with very little truth in him. Obviously, this is the moment where Jenny learns from her faults and as the film's plot synopsis suggests, she 'comes of age'. Yet, the way the film goes about it's so subtle and nonchalant that it feels natural. Most films of this nature hammer the hell out of the coming of age subject matter, but this one has an organic progression that is well drawn out and never seems formulaic. At all times the story rings true to the time period it's encapsulated in, as well as the characters that reside within the story.
Director Lone Scherfig does a tremendous job with filling the film with 60's zest, but most importantly, she lets the story stand for itself and lets the actors do their jobs. Both Alfred Molina and Peter Sarsgaard are great in their respective roles, as they're the main buoys in Jenny's life. Sarsgaard is especially good considering he is able to use his charm on both Jenny and us in order to consistently convince us his heart means well even though there is evidence that says otherwise. But, as mentioned before, the real praise belongs to Carey Mulligan, who more than aptly captures the giddy youthfulness of Jenny. Obviously Mulligan isn't 16, but her ability to strike a balance between vulnerability and teen ambition is uncanny, as she fully envelopes her character. When it's all said and done, it's hard to deny Mulligan's charm and incandescent attitude as she lights up the screen and journeys through teen life and in to adulthood. Much like Aubrey Hepburn in "Breakfast at Tiffany's", Mulligan's natural beauty and screen presence demand your undivided attention, and I'll be damned if you don't end up giving it to her (What can I say? I fell in love). This same notion could be applied to the film in its entirety, for it features great performances and a story that feels authentic to the point that it's hard to resist, much like Ms. Mulligan.
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