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An Education-2009

Director Lone Scherfig

Starring Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard

Scott’s Review #584

Reviewed January 4, 2017

Grade: B+

An Education, a British film released in 2009, is a small, little gem of a film. The storytelling and the acting are very good.

Since it is a British film, the accents can be a little distracting for some, but I enjoyed it very much.

It tells the story of an intelligent, college-driven teenager named Jenny (Mulligan), who falls in love with an older, charismatic man (Sarsgaard).

She faces conflict from her family and teachers, most notably her father, played by Alfred Molina.

The individuals in her life have differing opinions on which path Jenny should choose. This leads to the main conflict in the film.

The setting is rainy, cold London in 1961.

Headed for Oxford and a successful career (not common for a female in those days), Jenny is willing to risk it all for love, but is she being taken advantage of?

The film is romantic, comical, and serious all rolled into one. The story is nothing original, to be frank, but specifically, the excellent acting makes it worth seeing.

An Education (2009) proves filmmakers can take a good story, told before, and make it compelling to an audience.

Carey Mulligan deservedly received an Oscar nomination for this film and made her debut as a high-caliber young actress to watch.

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Actress-Carey Mulligan, Best Adapted Screenplay

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: 1 win-Best Foreign Film (won)

The Imitation Game-2014

Director Morten Tyldum

Starring Benedict Cumberbatch

Scott’s Review #213

Reviewed January 15, 2015

Grade: A

The Imitation Game (2014) follows Alan Turing, a confident, brilliant British mathematician who cracked Nazi Germany’s Enigma code and helped the Allies win World War II.

The film also delves into Turing’s complex, sad personal life, and the audience learns about his upbringing, largely through flashbacks a his childhood at boarding school.

The film is tragic yet wonderfully made, and it’s a powerful human story.

The film has two storylines.

The first is the hiring of Turing by the Government Code and Cipher School at Bletchley Park to crack the code and the numerous struggles faced in accomplishing this feat.

Turing is not easy-going. He is arrogant, quick-witted, and even smug. However, through his friendship with Joan (Keira Knightley), an intelligent woman on the team of scholars, we see a human side to him as they forge a lifelong bond.

The other is his personal life, which is a bit more mysterious and comes into play during the second half. Keeping a secret about his personal life, he is homosexual, which, in the time the film is set (1940’s England), is illegal.

Alan and Joan agree to marry, largely to appease her parents, but circumstances change their plans.

Benedict Cumberbatch, who portrays Turning, deserves praise for his impressive portrayal. He gives the character depth and a wide range of emotions.

He begins as a self-centered man but becomes layered, guarded, and protective because of his private life, which he is forced to hide a great deal.

Keira Knightley’s character supports Cumberbatch’s Alan as she becomes engaged to him and, later in life, becomes his biggest champion. Besides being quite intelligent, her character is also kind and giving.

The ending will bring many tears and make viewers reflect on the enormity of World War II and its vast number of casualties. The facts listed just before the credits roll are awe-inspiring and gut-wrenching.

The Imitation Game is not a war movie per se because it doesn’t show battle scenes. It is more of a drama dealing with the effects of war. It presents many figures, and some characters are affected.

For instance, in one scene, the group (led by Turing) must make a heartbreaking decision not to stop an impending attack, which will cause many deaths- including a character’s brother- instead of choosing to keep mum to save thousands more.

It is a powerful scene.

The Imitation Game (2014) successfully and heartbreakingly tells the story of a heroic figure who received no accolades in life, was ostracized, and only posthumously received his due.

Sadly, this was too little too late.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Picture, Best Director-Morten Tyldum, Best Actor-Benedict Cumberbatch, Best Supporting Actress-Keira Knightley, Best Adapted Screenplay (won), Best Original Score, Best Production Design, Best Film Editing