An Education

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2:18

An Education

PG-13

2009

1h 40m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

93%

Tomatometer

198 Reviews

80%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Despite her sheltered upbringing, Jenny (Carey Mulligan) is a teen with a bright future; she's smart, pretty, and has aspirations of attending Oxford University. When David (Peter Sarsgaard), a charming but much older suitor, motors into her life in a shiny automobile, Jenny gets a taste of adult life that she won't soon forget.

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Critics Consensus

Though the latter part of the film may not appeal to all, An Education is a charming coming-of-age tale powered by the strength of relative newcomer Carey Mulligan's standout performance.

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Wendy Ide

The Times (UK)

Sep 18, 2023

Adapted by Nick Hornby from a memoir by Lynn Barber, this is an enjoyably bracing portrait of a romantic misadventure.

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Deborah Ross

The Spectator

Aug 30, 2018

This is a nostalgically elegant, comically restrained, cleverly scripted film which, in parts, is also extremely moving.

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Kate Stables

Sight & Sound

Jul 6, 2018

One of the chief pleasures of Lone Scherfig's crisply confident and charmingly comic coming-of-age drama is in seeing a teenage girl kick against the pricks for a change.

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Kenneth R. Morefield

1More Film Blog

Feb 2, 2026

4/5

It is important to me in valuing the film that Jenny learn something from her education and not simply be brought low by it. I think she has.

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Wesley Lovell

Cinema Sight

Jan 7, 2026

4/4

What is the value of cautionary tales without real-world experience? An Education offers an intriguing view of a young woman who gets a lesson she won’t soon forget.

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Sara Clements

Next Best Picture

May 1, 2025

8/10

“An Education” captures the ache of first love but also the sting of first betrayal. It’s about the things unsaid, the dangers of what’s hidden, and the kind of learning no classroom can prepare you for.

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Francisco S

@FranciscoSerrano73 Mar 16, 2025

Perfect for a sunday nap.

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Shahrzad M

@RT31448216 Nov 30, 2024

This is a great educational movie. check our website to see our edcational services: https://filinko.ir/

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Simon G

@simon118 Oct 5, 2024

This is absolute garbage, stupid, crude, pointless and dumb. I am not often motivated to write a review but this film moved me. It is so primitive and silly that you kind of keep waiting for the real story to begin. Characters are crude and the story is grotesquely primitive and even at that it does not make sense. It is full of caricatures with no self-awareness. You just feel dumber for watching it. I wish I could unsee this garbage.

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Faiz D

@RT95588871 Aug 29, 2024

Outstanding performance by Carey Mulligan.

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Gertrude F

@RT21740944 Jan 31, 2024

Heartwarming, then disturbing. An excellent exploration of a young girls desires, love, manipulation, and loss of ones self in the face of all this. Carey Mulligan is brilliant, along with the rest of the cast. I didn't know what to feel by the end of it. There's no sugarcoating or dramatising, which is why it works so well.

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David W

@RT91245001 Jan 15, 2024

An Education features an exceptionally talented cast, a realistically disturbing premise, and a well-delivered storyline. Carey Mulligan delivers a breakthrough performance while Rosamund Pike is characteristically transcending in her supporting role. I would absolutely watch this again.

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Lone Scherfig

Director

Peter Sarsgaard

David

Carey Mulligan

Jenny

Alfred Molina

Jack

Dominic Cooper

Danny

Rosamund Pike

Helen

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An Education: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Despite her sheltered upbringing, Jenny (Carey Mulligan) is a teen with a bright future; she's smart, pretty, and has aspirations of attending Oxford University. When David (Peter Sarsgaard), a charming but much older suitor, motors into her life in a shiny automobile, Jenny gets a taste of adult life that she won't soon forget.

Director: Lone Scherfig
Producer: Finola Dwyer, Amanda Posey
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: BBC
Rating: PG-13 (Sexual Content|Mature Thematic Material|Smoking)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: British English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 9, 2009, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $12.6M
Runtime: 1h 40m

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