‘An Education’ shirks stereotype for social critique

Of all the films nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture this year, “An Education” has the most fascinating—and subtle—agenda. To many viewers, it would seem like any other coming-of-age flick, albeit one that is more nuanced and better acted. Yet, what elevates it to the level of three major Academy Award nods is its examination of Britain’s subjugation and maltreatment of Jews in the early ’60s.

The movie’s title is not without meaning. While the film is indeed about the learning experiences of its protagonist, 17-year-old British schoolgirl Jenny (played by an Oscar-deserving Carey Mulligan), it is most definitely out to give its audience “an education.” Its most obvious lesson is like that of an Aesop fable with a more realistic twist—“Don’t let others fool you with their apparent riches—and stay in school.” But this message, while definitely an important one, is much too hokey to stand on its own.

The film’s treatment of Jews and Judaism deserves a great deal of attention. Some reviewers have criticized the film for being anti-Semitic. New York Magazine’s David Edelstein wrote, “The story’s most obvious lesson is: Beware of Jews bearing flowers.” Such a claim is certainly arguable—the movie’s bad guy (Peter Sarsgaard), who pounces upon the young, naïve Jenny, first identifies himself as David, a Jewish man who never did well at “the university of life.” He steals priceless works of art. He cheats. He lies about everything. But that’s the thing—he lies all the time. David isn’t any of the other things he claims to be, so how do we know he’s actually Jewish?

As much as it may have set itself up for accusations of anti-Semitism, “An Education” passes on the opportunity to adopt this stance. Rather, it employs Judaism as an important exhibit for exploration, a criticism of ’60s Britain that could extend easily to many a modern venue.

When news of Jenny’s relationship with David reaches her uppity private school’s headmistress (Emma Thompson), David’s religion becomes a subject of heated debate. “He’s a Jew?” the headmistress asks. “You’re aware, I take it, that the Jews killed our Lord?” Annoyed, Jenny responds, “And you’re aware, I suppose, that our Lord was Jewish?” Jenny is a likeable character throughout the film, whereas her headmistress is far from it—especially when, replying to Jenny’s question, she delivers the ironic line, “I suppose he told you that. We’re all very sorry about what happened during the war. But that’s absolutely no excuse for that sort of malicious and untruthful propaganda.”

Of all the malice and untruth featured in the movie’s storyline, the anti-Semitic outbursts of the pre-baby-boomer characters are most heinous. Jenny and her teenaged compatriots, green as they may be, are consistently more politically sensitive than their elders in this regard. To re-entertain an old possibility: If the mere thought of David being Jewish could engender so much hatred, and it turned out he wasn’t a Jew, what would that say about the film’s adult characters? What would it say about their real world counterparts, those pre-war men and women with such sentiments? Here, “An Education” really does question the way its audience thinks about these issues.