Rated PG-13 – 1h35 -

What do we really learn more from: life or school? What’s more tragic? Not living up to your potential or not trying in the first place?

An Education is a period piece about Jenny (Carey Mulligan), a teenage girl in 1960’s suburban London. She’s on her way to Oxford, until she meets David (Peter Sarsgaard), a hip, older (35-years old!) socialite whose romantic magnetism is nearly irresistible to Jenny.

She leaves her high school education behind with promises of marriage, good times and the high life, only to find out that David is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Jenny finds out that some of the choices she makes can have an irreversible outcome on her future, but wisely draws from her experience.

There are noteworthy performances by Mulligan, who captures the naiveté of youth. It’s her first starring role, which drives the film and is drawing comparisons to the likes of Audrey Hepburn.

Also, Sarrsgaard thoroughly convinces you of his sleazy ways with slick double talk in a proper English manner. He’s the walking, breathing definition of a dirty rotten scoundrel, but still, not without his charm.

We get swept away in the romantic notion that the gentleman is showing Jenny the ropes, but there is a sadness knowing she’s abandoning what’s left of her childhood. At that age, who could resist the attraction of something bigger than you?

Clearly those were different times, when even Jenny’s parents don’t seem to question the disturbing age difference as long as a wedding ring is thrown into the mix.

Attention youth of today: The lesson is to be careful of something that looks too good to be true…you know the rest.