Based on a memoir by Lynn Barber, An Education takes place in London in the early 1960's, in a London of drab conformity, not yet the swinging-'60s of a few years later. Jenny (Carey Mulligan) is a teenage girl who dreams of getting out of her staid environment, speak French and immerse herself in culture. She meets David (Peter Sarsgaard), a man in his 30s who takes an interest in her, and is only to happy to introduce her to the world she longs to be a part of. Nick Hornby's humane and humorous screenplay is true to the film's title: In short order, young Jenny finds out important truths about identity, glamour and how adults really think and live. An Education is a charming coming-of-age tale powered by the strength of relative newcomer Carey Mulligan's Golden Globe-awarded standout performance.