An Education

Bracingly perceptive and excitingly young, An Education is a distinctive story with universal appeal; a smart, moving, and accessible entry in the coming-of-age canon; and a deceptively restrained film that communicates with forthrightness and simmers with roiling emotions. The combination of an adroit cast, an economical style, and a literate script, achieves an alchemical feat: one of the best films of the year.