Based on the memoirs of Lynn Barber, this movie takes us to the world of a middle class schoolgirl in 60s England, on the cusp of becoming a young woman. I read an article in a UK newspaper, where Barber describes the affair that she had with the man portraid in the movie, and it seems that the movie stays very true to how she actually experienced it and what happened. So this should prove a fairly accurate glimpse into a girl's mind at this crucial age.
Jenny is a sixteen year old schoolgirl, who lives a rather isolated life with her middle class parents. She dutifully does her schoolwork, in order to redeem, primarily her parents dream of her going to Oxford. She has an interest in cool, french culture and existentialism. She also plays the cello and one day after a concert, she is passed up by a charming man in a fancy sports-car, who offers to give her a lift home. She accepts, since he seems so gentleman-like and charming. A few days later she bumps into him again and they agree to meet on a date. Simon, as the man is called, arrives at her parents home and charms them with his manners and apparent riches and her parents feel their daughter is safe with him. Their relationship develops more and more, he takes her to fancy restaurants, meet up with his cool friends and so on. She slowly slides away from her school mentality as she becomes this sort of female Jeckyll and Hyde, living a double life in the weekends off in Paris or somewhere else, getting spoiled by Simon. It goes so far that he proposes to her and her parents agree, but then she starts to find out things about Simon that is not so charming.
My hat goes off to Carey Mulligan, who plays Jenny. She is absolutely brilliant in this role. She has the perfect mix of youthful looks, that is both naive but also pretentiously intellectual. The right personality to end up in a situation like this. She has a natural way of acting that is honest and believable and her grin is just lovely. All the characters are so deliciously played. Slightly caricatured, like the school teacher Miss Stubbs, but only to emphasize a point or a certain personal trait. The actors are very precisely picked for their specific roles. Their personalities respectively stand out clearly, while never taking the spotlight away from Carey, which is a trait of a seasoned and precise director. The main theme of her being lured into his world by giving her nice things is sort of formulaic, but still, this is what usually happens in these kind of "kidnappings". There are several side stories though, that are much deeper and way more interesting. The very controlling and safety first type parents suddenly loose all control, when a man with the right cultural attributes show up in their inexperienced daughters life. There is a side story about conforming to cultural norms indoctrinated into children, but they instinctively know that it is bullshit, because they see nothing but destroyed and conforming adults lecturing them. And then the most important, learning to trust your instincts. Jenny never asks Simon any important questions. She has no tools to scout for the psychopathic traits that are everywhere in Simon. It is actually a picture of culture as a camouflage for psychopathy, the sort that makes young and inexperienced girls easier targets for exploitation by those without a conscience. This is brilliantly portraid between the lines and in my opinion takes this movie to the highest levels.
I was hooked from the first minutes that Carey Mulligan came on screen. She is an adorable actor and she gets a lot of credit for lifting this movie. The stories are some that everyone can relate to and they are played out without prejudice. Jenny comes of age through this experience, because no one knew how to teach it to her, but herself. This is the sad reality for most young kids today - "an education" is more than what can be learned in a classroom. A truly great movie.
Rating: 10/10