History Film / AnEducation

* EducationMama: Papa rather than Mama, but Jenny's dad approves of Jenny's intentions of going to Oxford, and he pressures her even more to study and work on her dream. Ideally, she should be only studying and improving her Latin, and as far as music goes, her playing the violin is just fine, none of the French modern music nonsense! He simply doesn't want her to be distracted by anything inappropriate. However, he's also fairly kind and understanding, and Jenny's mom knows how to influence him.

* BrainyBrunette Jenny has brown hair and she is a genuine smart cookie, though still naive, which is understandable because she's 16. This is a contrast to DumbBlonde Helen.

* [[EducationMama Education Papa]]: Jenny's dad. He approves of Jenny's intentions of going to Oxford, and he pressures her even more to study and work on her dream. Ideally, she should be only studying and improving her Latin, and as far as music goes, her playing the violin is just fine, none of the French modern music nonsense! He simply doesn't want her to be distracted by anything inappropriate. However, he's also fairly kind and understanding, and Jenny's mom knows how to influence him.

* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:David never faces any consequences for his actions in the film proper, though a DeletedScene in which he encounters Jenny at Oxford shows that his thieving ways finally caught up with him and that he spent some time in prison]]

* {{Leitmotif}}: A recurring [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RztnZAygXxs&feature=related theme]] played throughout the film plays hints to David and his schemes.
* LiquidCourage: Jenny mentions that David is engaging in this before coming in to confess to her parents that he's already married. She bitterly and sarcastically adds on "''Stolen'' liquid courage, from the looks of it." , having finally seen the light about ''all'' of David's behavior.

* [[spoiler:StalkerWithACrush: Assumed, but not intended. In the final scene with Jenny and her new boyfriend biking around the Oxford campus, David's car can be seen parked on the side of the street. This is remnant from the [[WhatCouldHaveBeen longer original ending]] in which David tries to win Jenny back. Carey Mulligan and director Lone Scherfig joke on the DVD commentary that only a few people actually catch this on the first viewing and those who do catch it assume that David has resorted to stalking her.]]

* UptightLovesWild: Jenny and David's relationship at first; she's a lower-class, studious schoolgirl while he's a rogueish, cultured conman who can show her everything she's ever dreamed off. She even tells off her headmistress and teacher because she would rather have a lavish, exciting life with David than live a "boring," studious life going to university. [[spoiler:Only when his deception is revealed, and she realizes that deceiving paramours is ''his'' version of fun, does she finally realize the importance of her education.]]

* [[WiseBeyondTheirYears Wise Beyond Her Years]]: Jenny seems sure that she's wise and pretty clever for a girl of her age. [[spoiler: [[SubvertedTrope She really isn't.]]]] And she lampshades it in this exchange with Miss Stubbs:

* AgeGapRomance: Jenny is sixteen and has a relationship with David who appears to be in his mid-to-late twenties. Her parents are not too happy about it, but he soon charms them completely and they allow Jenny to date him. He asks her to marry him and she agrees. [[spoiler:It turns out he's already married. She tracks down his house and gets to meet David's wife who is shattered. Not by David's cheating, she's used to that; she's shattered by Jenny's youth.]]

A 2009 British {{coming of age}} {{drama}} film, set in [[TheSixties 1961]] UsefulNotes/{{London}}.

* ItsAllAboutMe: [[spoiler:David has no concern for the people around him, whether it's his neglected family or the girls he seduces and abandons. When Jenny finds out his secret he refuses to accept responsibility for what he did and runs away. Even when he's trying to do what he thinks is the right thing in a deleted scene, when he finds Jenny at Oxford, he responds to her justified anger with "Please don't be unkind," and honestly seems to believe that she'd still want to marry him after she's rebuilt her life and gotten to attend university.]]
* JerkassHasAPoint: The headmistress has no business butting into Jenny's personal life, but she's not entirely wrong to try and warn her about her behavior, especially considering how everything turned out.

* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:David, though a DeletedScene in which he encounters Jenny at Oxford shows that his thieving ways finally caught up with him and that he spent some time in prison]]

* OverprotectiveDad: Jenny's dad obviously dislikes Jenny's suitor Graham and is initially a bit wary of David, but David's charm easily persuades him.

* AgeGapRomance: Jenny is sixteen and has a relationship with David who appears to be in his mid-to-late twenties. Her parents are not too happy about it, but he soon charms them completely and they allow Jenny to date him. He asks her to marry him and she agrees. [[spoiler:It turns out he's already married. She tracks down his house and gets to meet David's wife who is shattered, but not by David's cheating, ''that'', she's used to; she's shattered by Jenny's youth.]]

* BridalCarry: David carries Jenny in his arms shortly before [[spoiler:she gives him her virginity.]]

* RightForTheWrongReason: Jenny's teacher is right to be suspicious of David, and to advise Jenny against marrying him. Unfortunately, it's because David is Jewish.

* YourCheatingHeart: [[spoiler: David is not only married, he apparently cheats on his wife so often that the poor woman seems thoroughly resigned to having his jilted lovers turning up on their doorstep. Her dialogue makes it quite clear that Jenny is far from the first to do this -- and that some have been even worse off than her, being in "the family way". About the only thing that really upsets her is how young Jenny is.]]

* AgeGapRomance: Jenny is sixteen and has a relationship with David who appears to be in his mid-to-late twenties. Her parents are not too happy about it, but he soon charms them completely and they allow Jenny to date him. He asks her to marry him and she agrees. [[spoiler:It turns out he's already married. She tracks his house and gets to meet David's wife who is shattered, but not by David's cheating, ''that'', she's used to; she's shattered by Jenny's youth.]]

* YourCheatingHeart: [[spoiler: David is married and apparently cheats on his wife so often that the poor woman seems thoroughly resigned to having his jilted lovers turning up on their doorstep. Her dialogue makes it quite clear that Jenny is far from the first to do this--and that some have been even worse off, being in "the family way". About the only thing that really upsets her is how young Jenny is.]]

* BridalCarry: David carries Jenny in his arms shortly before [[spoiler:she gives him her virginity.]]

* LeftTheBackgroundMusicOn: Whenever a French song plays in the background, it's most likely this.

* OopsIForgotIWasMarried: [[spoiler: David proposes Jenny and seems utterly genuine. He says to Danny that she's the one. Jenny then finds a letter addressed to his wife and tracks her down. She's crushed.]]