It‘s a tale that we‘ve all heard before: young, attractive girl gets seduced by charming older man and falls hopelessly in love only to discover that he is not what she thought he was. "An Education" may sound run–of–the–mill, but this in fact is one of the finest films of the year.

Jenny (played superbly by Carey Mulligan) is a 16–year–old girl with ambitions of getting a place at Oxford University. Although she is the brightest student among her peers and is pushed towards academic success by her persistent father (Alfred Molina), Jenny longs for more in her life.

Enter charismatic stranger, David (Peter Sarsgaard). David is suave, well dressed, intelligent and cultured – in short, he is everything that Jenny could hope for in a man, while he is instantly smitten with the precocious and mature Jenny. Soon, he is taking her to the opera, weekends away in Paris, and introducing her to his close friends Danny and Helen (Dominic Cooper and Rosamund Pike). Jenny‘s life is turned on its head and her school education discarded in favour of what her affair with David is teaching her about herself and the world, but will she be able to cope with the dark side of David‘s life that is the source of his wealth?

A film that is so focused on the relationship between two people puts an enormous amount of pressure on the actors, but with Carey Mulligan and Peter Sarsgaard, director Lone Scherfig is in very safe hands. Mulligan and Sarsgaard‘s chemistry is electric and both play their roles to perfection. Mulligan, in particular, meets the challenge of leading a film at 22 years of age brilliantly and deserves the Oscar buzz surrounding her performance.

Meanwhile, the support is equally impressive – Rosamund Pike is a surprising delight as the comic relief and Alfred Molina is perfectly cast as the overbearing pushy father who is aware of his own limitations. "An Education" is a lesson in how to tell a familiar tale in a new and exciting way and deserves top marks for its fantastic performances.