Hair New Era

Today, while on the bus to Tartu I watched the critically acclaimed An Education.
I could really relate to the French-quoting main character Jenny whose goal is to get an Oxford education whilst what she wants is to go to Paris and enjoy all the cultural activities she has so far missed because of her studies. The comically dim Helen has an amazing wardrobe and a life that seems almost equally beautiful.
(The funny thing is that Rosamund Pike who plays Helen is in fact an Oxford graduate herself.)
How glamorous and fun it might be to live in their London and their Paris!
But no, I couldn’t live like that. The total dependency was almost suffocating to watch. I am actually truly glad I live in a time where a woman’s only two choices are not to "be bored, and then bored, and finally bored again and this time for the rest of [her] life" or to become a kept wife or mistress.
But now that I think of it – I don’t have such a wide array of options myself. Since having a man support me financially as long as I do what I’m told is absolutely out of the question, the only choice is to get a good university education.
Even though I tend to think that "nobody does anything worth doing with a degree" has a bit of truth in it…
The film was lovely, but slightly flawed nonetheless. The ending seemed a bit rushed and on the whole it wasn’t as all-encompassing and filled with answers as I hoped it would be.
Then again, the same can be said about life. An Education was actually very realistic and relatable. I do recommend it.
Some of my favourite quotes:

Jenny: "Well, after I've been to university, I'm going to be French, and I'm going to Paris, and I'm going to smoke and wear black, and listen to Jacques Brel, and I won't speak. Ever. C'est plus chic comme ça."

Jack: "Knowing a famous author is better than becoming one. It shows you're connected."

Helen: "Why are university girls all strange-looking? They can't all have started off that way, can they? I mean, most girls aren't born ugly, but most girl students seem to be. So there must be something about these places that make you fat, or spotty, or short-sighted."

Pictures from allmoviephoto.com