CAREY MULLIGAN

By R. Kurt Osenlund, The Good Life film critic


Twenty four-year-old British actress Carey Mulligan's resume is a quick read. The year of her earliest film credit is 2005, when she appeared opposite Keira Knightley in director Joe Wright's treatment of Jane Austen's "Pride & Prejudice." That same year, she also starred in the BBC's award-winning production of Charles Dickens' "Bleak House." Her only notable work of late is a bit part in Michael Mann's "Public Enemies." It's safe to assume that if you were to pass this innocent-looking brunette on the street, thoughts of "OMG, that's her!" wouldn't even cross your mind.

That is, until "An Education," an intelligent coming-of-age drama in which Mulligan portrays a free-thinking teen in love with an older man, opens October 9. At this point, Mulligan, resume be damned, is the front-runner for this year's Best Actress Academy Award. Since "An Education" made its debut at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, bloggers, journalists and awards pundits have been abuzz about the young Brit's Oscar chances. No need for me to keep on babbling, watch this girl in action for yourself. She's the real deal and she may just be the next big thing.

Trailer for "An Education":