Madame Bovary (2014 film)

Madame Bovary is a 2014 romantic drama film directed by Sophie Barthes, based on the 1856 novel of the same name by Gustave Flaubert. The film stars Mia Wasikowska as Emma Bovary, a woman trapped in a loveless marriage in rural 19th-century France who seeks passion and excitement in extramarital affairs.

The film offers a modern adaptation of Flaubert's classic, exploring themes of disillusionment, social constraints, and the destructive power of romantic fantasies. It portrays Emma's growing dissatisfaction with her mundane life as the wife of a country doctor, Charles Bovary, and her increasing desperation to escape through affairs and extravagant spending.

The screenplay was written by Rose Barreneche and Sophie Barthes. The supporting cast includes Rhys Ifans as Monsieur Lheureux, Ezra Miller as Léon Dupuis, and Paul Giamatti as Monsieur Homais.

Madame Bovary premiered at the Telluride Film Festival on August 30, 2014, and was released in the United States in June 2015. The film received mixed reviews, with critics praising Wasikowska's performance and the film's visual style, but also criticizing its pacing and lack of emotional depth compared to the source material. While remaining generally faithful to the plot of the novel, the film makes certain omissions and adjustments to condense the sprawling narrative for the screen. The production design aimed for a realistic depiction of rural French life in the 19th century.