monoceros blogs...if we never did anything, we wouldn't be anybody." ~ from "An Education"
This trailer had me in seconds. A girl with a cello. Paris. The definition of education.
And then the music, the actors. I always rather liked Peter Sarsgaard. He isn't conventionally handsome, but there's a certain something about his face and air that I find incredibly riveting. And that gaze. He also happens to remind me, on occasion, of Ewan McGregor, and in the poster for this film, he is a spitting image of McGregor. I wonder what it would have been like if it were McGregor playing the character of David. Still, I prefer Sarsgaard for this film since he isn't so well-known and his status as an actor doesn't eclipse the character. He's also rougher round the edges, something the character probably requires. McGregor still possess the face of a guileless young man.
So what is education? The words "Sometimes an education isn't by the book..." flashed across the screen. I still don't know how to pin it down - what education ought to be - but I do agree that education isn't confined to the classroom. Or by the rules that "educators" set in stone. The philosophy of education changes constantly, and I love that it does. I love that it continues even when you're long past the age of a schoolgirl.
I'm not sure that I love the pain that accompanies it, but it does make me learn faster (even if I'm sometimes slow to apply what I've learned). And don't they say that the most painful lessons are the most valuable ones?
The film is based upon a memoir, adapted by Nick Hornby. If you don't want to know the whole of the film's plot, don't click on the link. I read the excerpt by Lynn Barber in The Guardian and liked how honest and unsentimental she is about her education. So while I do know how the film will turn out, I still want to see it. Every second of it.
I'm looking for the tower of learning
I'm looking for the copious prize
Saw it in your eyes what I'm looking for
All the sights of Paris
Pale inside your iris
The Tower of Learning, by Rufus Wainwright
I watched a Scrubs episode today (thanks again, Joseph!) and something that Turk said hit home. It was in reply to Elliot's question on how to make her second (or third?) go with JD better than before - "You wanna know what's so special about Carla and me? That we don't have to try and make it special. Okay? We're just connected. If you want things to be different with JD this time around, you gonna have to give up all of that immature, neurotic overthinking and just be with each other."
It reminded me of what DSD and K have told me time and time again - I think too much. And while it's good to think before leaping, sometimes I overthink things and wind up missing a good number of experiences. I need to stop doing that.
Inexplicably inspired recently, I tried it. So what did it feel like? I felt lighter. Not so much like an airhead, just a lot more like the person I could be whenever I'm relaxed and enjoying myself. And I like being that person.
Missed The Boat, by Modest Mouse
I'd Rather Be With You, by Josh Radin