An Education
Despite her sheltered upbringing, Jenny is a teen with a bright future; she's smart, pretty, and has aspirations of attending Oxford University. When David, a charming but much older suitor, motors into her life in a shiny automobile, Jenny gets a taste of adult life that she won't soon forget.
Despite its limited budget of $7.5M, An Education became a financial success, earning $26.1M worldwide—a 248% return. The film's innovative storytelling engaged audiences, illustrating how strong storytelling can transcend budget limitations.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
An Education (2009) showcases precise plot construction, characteristic of Lone Scherfig's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 40 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.3, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Jenny Mellor
David Goldman
Jack Mellor
Miss Stubbs
Marjorie Mellor
Danny
Helen
Miss Walters
Main Cast & Characters
Jenny Mellor
Played by Carey Mulligan
A bright 16-year-old schoolgirl who becomes infatuated with an older man, risking her Oxford dreams for a taste of sophisticated life.
David Goldman
Played by Peter Sarsgaard
A charming, cultured con man in his 30s who seduces Jenny with promises of adventure and worldly sophistication.
Jack Mellor
Played by Alfred Molina
Jenny's protective, working-class father who is initially suspicious of David but becomes dazzled by his charm and status.
Miss Stubbs
Played by Cara Seymour
Jenny's headmistress who tries to keep her focused on Oxford despite the distractions of David's world.
Marjorie Mellor
Played by Cara Seymour
Jenny's timid mother who defers to her husband and watches helplessly as Jenny is drawn into David's orbit.
Danny
Played by Dominic Cooper
David's friend and accomplice in his schemes, a hedonistic enabler of the glamorous lifestyle.
Helen
Played by Rosamund Pike
Danny's dim-witted girlfriend who represents the shallow side of David's world.
Miss Walters
Played by Olivia Williams
Jenny's English teacher who encourages her intellectual growth and academic ambitions.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Jenny walks through rainy suburban London streets carrying her cello, wearing her school uniform - a studious, sheltered teenager trapped in a monotonous routine dictated by her demanding father and focused solely on getting into Oxford.. Notably, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 10 minutes when David, a charming older man in his thirties, pulls up beside Jenny in the rain and offers to protect her cello from the weather - their first meeting that will upend her entire world.. At 10% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 24 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 24% of the runtime. This illustrates the protagonist's commitment to Jenny accepts David's invitation to attend a classical music concert with him and his friends Danny and Helen, making the active choice to enter his glamorous adult world despite knowing it compromises her studies., moving from reaction to action.
At 49 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 49% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Significantly, this crucial beat David proposes marriage to Jenny in Paris, and she accepts - a false victory where Jenny believes she's found the perfect escape from her dreary academic path, but the audience senses the danger in abandoning her education for a man whose business dealings remain mysterious., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 73 minutes (73% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Jenny discovers David is already married with a wife and child in the suburbs - the devastating truth that destroys her dreams, her education, her reputation, and her future. The death of innocence and the sophisticated life she'd built her hopes upon., demonstrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 80 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Jenny goes to Miss Stubbs' home to apologize and ask for help getting back into school - a moment of humility and clarity where she realizes that education is indeed her passport, combining her hard-won life experience with renewed commitment to academic achievement., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
An Education's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs proven narrative structure principles that track dramatic progression. By mapping An Education against these established plot points, we can identify how Lone Scherfig utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish An Education within the drama genre.
Lone Scherfig's Structural Approach
Among the 2 Lone Scherfig films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.5, reflecting strong command of classical structure. An Education takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Lone Scherfig filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include Eye for an Eye, South Pacific and Kiss of the Spider Woman. For more Lone Scherfig analyses, see One Day.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Jenny walks through rainy suburban London streets carrying her cello, wearing her school uniform - a studious, sheltered teenager trapped in a monotonous routine dictated by her demanding father and focused solely on getting into Oxford.
Theme
Jenny's teacher Miss Stubbs tells her class about the importance of education, stating "Your degree is your passport to the world" - establishing the central thematic question of whether formal education or life experience leads to a fulfilling life.
Worldbuilding
Jenny's constrained life is established: her controlling father Jack pushes her relentlessly toward Oxford, she studies Latin and practices cello, lives in a modest suburban home, dreams of a more sophisticated Parisian life, and endures the tedium of teenage existence in 1961 England.
Disruption
David, a charming older man in his thirties, pulls up beside Jenny in the rain and offers to protect her cello from the weather - their first meeting that will upend her entire world.
Resistance
David pursues Jenny with gifts and attention; Jenny is intrigued but hesitant; her parents are initially suspicious but David charms them by claiming to be in "export business" and showing interest in Jenny's education; Jenny debates whether to pursue this exciting new relationship or focus on her studies.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Jenny accepts David's invitation to attend a classical music concert with him and his friends Danny and Helen, making the active choice to enter his glamorous adult world despite knowing it compromises her studies.
Mirror World
Jenny bonds with David's friends Danny and Helen, and more importantly with David himself as they explore art galleries, restaurants, and nightclubs - this relationship becomes the thematic counterpoint that will teach Jenny about what she truly values.
Premise
The promise of sophistication fulfilled: Jenny experiences concerts, races at Ascot, French restaurants, expensive champagne, trips to Oxford nightclubs, and eventually Paris - the glamorous life she's dreamed of, seemingly proving that David's worldly education surpasses what school offers.
Midpoint
David proposes marriage to Jenny in Paris, and she accepts - a false victory where Jenny believes she's found the perfect escape from her dreary academic path, but the audience senses the danger in abandoning her education for a man whose business dealings remain mysterious.
Opposition
Jenny drops out of school despite Miss Stubbs' warnings; her headmistress condemns her choice; Jenny defends her decision, convinced marriage to David is superior to university; small cracks appear in David's facade; Jenny ignores warning signs about his "business" and her friends' vacant lives.
Collapse
Jenny discovers David is already married with a wife and child in the suburbs - the devastating truth that destroys her dreams, her education, her reputation, and her future. The death of innocence and the sophisticated life she'd built her hopes upon.
Crisis
Jenny sits alone in her bedroom, numb and devastated; she's lost her place at school, her chance at Oxford, her virginity to a lie, and her self-respect; she contemplates a future as limited as Helen's - intellectually vacant, dependent on men, with no education to fall back on.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Jenny goes to Miss Stubbs' home to apologize and ask for help getting back into school - a moment of humility and clarity where she realizes that education is indeed her passport, combining her hard-won life experience with renewed commitment to academic achievement.
Synthesis
Jenny returns to school, endures the judgment of classmates and teachers, works intensely to catch up on missed studies, takes her A-levels, and ultimately applies to Oxford - executing her plan to reclaim her future through education rather than men.
Transformation
Jenny rides her bicycle through Oxford University as a student, smiling with genuine confidence and independence - transformed from the naive girl seeking escape into a self-possessed young woman who has earned her place through her own merit, wiser for her mistakes.