Now back to the movie itself.
The heroine Jenny is a beautiful and smart high school student. In this way, the problem comes: she is not an ordinary nerdy high school student, but a young lady with excellent learning and versatility. So, what kind of life should such a lovely girl have? Both her teachers and the principal hope that she can exert her intelligence and hard work to the extreme and get admitted to Oxford; her parents seem to expect more than the teachers, they not only hope that their daughter can get decent grades, but also hope that she can find a good family, She has a happy life; and Meiren herself doesn't seem to be reconciled to being a good student, she is still looking forward to more - for example: love. So, she arrogantly said to the teacher, "Aren't you also smart and beautiful, and you're not dealing with boring translations?" At the beginning of the film, a hairy guy who had forgotten his name approached her, but obviously, he did not meet the beauty's requirements. Because, Jenny is the kind of girl who has taste, loves fantasy, and longs for French romance. In other words, what she wants is not just a company, she wants a man who can show her the world.
It was in this subjective mood that she met a middle-aged yuppie man named David. This man has a good face. Although he is slightly fat, it does not prevent his old man's charm from exuding. And, while we can't tell from the film what the man does, we all know at a glance: he has money and taste. But these are just external foils. The most important thing is that he took the initiative to chat with the heroine on a rainy day. His approach not only made Meiren know him, but also aroused her curiosity. So Beauty made a mistake that almost all young girls make: imagine. In her imagination, David was gentle, considerate and tasteful. He looked very social in his black suit and white shirt. She imagined that David not only fell in love with her, but also fascinated her. If the beauty only made this mistake, the ending would not be so unbearable. But she just made the second mistake: addicted. She indulged in her own imagination, in the world David showed her. He took her to and from fine restaurants, took her to the Opera, took her to auctions, took her to Paris. He kept catering to her and talking to her, seemingly giving her spiritual lessons. His friends are also happy to cooperate with his actions, and they create a romantic and refined atmosphere of life. And all of these made Jenny deeply immersed in it, unable to extricate herself. Also caught up in her poor parents. This is also the most incomprehensible part of me after watching the movie: Jenny is obsessed with it. Teenage children can't recognize the intricate and innocent history of the old man, but how can her parents be confused? As Jenny said in the film: "Stupid high school students are always attracted to old men with good looks, but what about you two"? They half pushed their daughter into the abyss, causing Jenny to take such a detour that she can't go back to. Fortunately, Jenny had the courage to face it after waking up from the dream. Facing David's wife, facing the teacher, facing himself, facing the past, and more importantly facing the future. She did not give up on herself, although the road to Oxford was not as smooth as she imagined, but fortunately she had a kind teacher who did not hold grudges to help her, and fortunately she still had her own support.
The film is based on a memoir by British journalist Lynn Barber. The narrative of the film is basically developed from the point of view of the heroine Jenny. Although she tasted the bitter fruit of life, she did not suffer from being deceived, nor did she cry because of losing her virginity. On the contrary, after saying goodbye to innocence, her future is not gloomy. Now the so-called "uncle control" is popular, and I think such a girl is similar to Jenny. It's nothing more than dreaming of a young, naive and eager for instant success. As everyone knows, these "beautiful" old men seem to have their own logic. Maybe for different people, the importance of family and career is not the same, but what is certain is that a lover is the icing on the cake. They don't sacrifice their families and their careers for their lovers. To be clear, I am not condemning or criticizing Jenny's attitude. On the contrary, I think the thinking of Jenny and many "uncle control" is understandable. What girl doesn't want to meet someone who will show her the world? Don't worry about the reality of life, everything seems to be within reach. But they also forget that there is no such shortcut in life.
The most unforgettable segment of the film is the celebration of the hero and heroine's birthday in Paris, and the picture is extremely beautiful and romantic. The chanson of a song "Under the Sky of Paris" is extremely wonderful, which makes the audience feel a kind of tender and tranquil romance. The original singing of this song was published in 1939, and the film uses an adaptation of it. The hero and heroine dance on the street to the sound of the music, casual and romantic. I can't tell what kind of feeling it is, but When I saw this set of shots, I couldn't help but think of Sagan's novel "A Kind of Smile". It's also about a schoolgirl who falls in love with a married man, and they have a good time in Cannes that the schoolgirl thinks "will never happen again", but in the end, the married man doesn't cherish it very much The feelings of the female student, he thought she was the same as other people who had been infatuated with him. Years later, when the schoolgirl grew up and recalled the relationship, she had "a sort of smile" on her face. I think the life scenes and emotional analysis written in the book are very similar to the movie. It seems that the heroines are all inexperienced and innocent and innocent. But they seem to be more mentally mature than their peers, and they all have the ability to move on after an injury.
Here, we have to praise our beautiful actress Carey Morrigan - really Audrey Hepburn reincarnation. I think that she, who was not very good in the 05 version of "Pride and Prejudice", is now shining brightly. Dresses in the 1960s with a French bun, and finally a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses, how flattering it is. The other cast members are also relatively strong, all of whom are frequently featured in British films: Alfred Molina (Mayor in Chocolate), Dominic Cooper (Prime Minister in The Duchess), Rosamund Pike (Jane in Pride and Prejudice) ), Emma Thompson (no need to say more about this, talented girl). Overall, it's a movie worth watching.
At the end of the film, Jenny's monologue goes like this: "The boy I dated was a real boy, and once he asked me to go to Paris with him. I said I'd love to, I've been longing to go to Paris like I never been the same." At this point, I think Jenny has come out of the hurt that David has done to him, and she also understands that the real education for her growing up is to let her understand: young girls should not expect to meet the person who will show her the world, because there are no shortcuts in life. More often, we need someone to accompany us to travel the world.
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