Sometimes there are no shortcuts, and Lone Scherfig’s An Education - adapted from Lynn Barber’s memoir - is a potent reminder of this, in large part thanks to famed author Nick Hornby’s resonant and witty script. Young British actress Carrey Mulligan features in her highest profile outing yet, and has been gaining Academy Award traction already, in a film that isn’t big on revelations, and is decidedly low-key, but is also clever and well-acted throughout.

Jenny (Mulligan) is a precocious 16-year-old who has dreams of studying English at Oxford University and then going to live in France for the rest of her life. One day, when walking home in the rain, she accepts a lift from a charming older man named David (Peter Sarsgaard), who she quickly builds up a rapport with, as they share a common love of art and the finer side of life. David’s intentions are not at first clear, but seeing as Jenny constantly wrestles with her overbearing father, Jack (Alfred Molina), David, as the seemingly upstanding gentleman that he is, is able to charm him, and keep his inquisitive nature at bay. The question ultimately becomes two-fold: can Jenny balance her high-flying, care-free dreamer lifestyle with her academic pursuits, and what are David’s true intentions with the young girl?

For a film barely running in at 90 minutes, An Education saunters along quite methodically for most of its runtime; there aren’t many huge dramatic exchanges until the final third, and this is a film more about characters than about situations. To this effect, the film is a showcase of acting talent and clever, quietly compelling writing more than overt dramaturgy, allowing the minimalist story to reveal itself slowly as we learn more about each of these characters. And what characters; Mulligan’s Jenny is a strange concoction, in as much as she is clever, but she is also pretentious and not totally likeable. We feel for her predicament once the truth is known, but she has lofty, naive notions about how the world works (unsurprisingly given her age), and once the house of cards begins to fall down, the viewer can only watch on in horror while Jenny herself is trapped inside. Mulligan, who is actually 24-years-old, uncannily resembles a young school pupil, while the performance itself is the tent pole supporting the film, and is surely a lock for an Oscar nomination by now.

The multi-dimensional characterisation is wherein the film’s chief cleverness lies, for almost every character is both sympathetic and dislikeable in some measure, even Jenny’s father, brilliantly played in a show-stealing turn (even moreso than Mulligan) by Alfred Molina. The character borders on farce; he has stodgy, outdated ideas about virtually everything, but ultimately he means well as a protective father, and Molina really lights a fire under things when he gets a chance to give his on-screen daughter a stern telling off. If the Academy is eagle-eyed, Molina himself may also receive an Oscar nomination.

Although those two are by far the showiest and most obviously compelling turns in the film, this isn’t to discount the efforts of Peter Sarsgaard as the mysterious David, who nails the English accent and delivers a solid performance, even if not much more. Also, Dominic Cooper is decent as David’s arty-farty friend Danny (in a role originally intended for Orlando Bloom), and Rosamund Pike is good fun as Danny’s aloof, uncultured girlfriend Helen. Furthermore, Emma Thompson shines in a few brief scenes as Jenny’s Headmistress, and Happy Go Lucky star Sally Hawkins also makes a blink-and-you’ll-miss it appearance near the end of the film.

If there’s anything I have against An Education, it’s that it fits all too neatly into a genre that’s been given a thoroughly cheeky and playful treatment by the likes of Richard Curtis in the past. The 1960s setting is a refreshing take on the genre, though, and there are some darker dramatic elements at play here, even if the film ultimately is quite minimal and relies on some clever quips and solid turns to survive. Hornby’s writing in particular, although dramatically restrained, has some very funny moments, and is complemented by Scherfig’s direction, with a gorgeously-shot portion in Paris being particularly memorable.

The claims to Best Picture calibre seem exaggerated, but An Education is a quality British drama that is unmistakably elevated beyond the stuffy trappings of the genre by Hornby’s smart script and the knowing performances. An engaging dramedy and a potent look at the culture-clash during the upheaval of the 60s, this is the sort of robust filmmaking that the small British film industry should be promoting.