Madame Bovary Movie Review
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Madame Bovary stars Mia Wasikowska, an actress who has really taken to starring in adaptions of classic novels over the last 5 years, including Jane Eyre, Alice in Wonderland, and Alice Through the Looking Glass. The book by Gustave Flaubert has some noticeable differences but the tone Wasilkowska brings to her interpretation of Emma Bovary as well as that of the literary character run somewhat parallel.
Taking place in northern France, Emma is a recently married young woman. Her husband, Dr. Charles Bovary is an unassuming man of few requests. At first Emma appears willing to put effort in to the relationship but those moments are fleeting as she soon grows bored, a central theme around this story is how bored can Emma possibly get? One who has not read the novel, may have originally thought her husband to be indifferent and hypercritical of Emma, but eventually his unwavering loyalty shows through. He even goes so far as to move (literally and figuratively) outside of his comfort zone from the small town of Tostes to the somewhat larger town of Yonville. It is there, where Emma has her awakening. You pity Charles as his wife attempts to find solace in other relationships. At first, just staring longingly at young men in her husbands friendship circle or simple acquaintances, eventually leads to sexual rendezvous.
Initially, Leon (Ezra Miller) is someone she yearns for but denies. They share many things in common, such as art, history and music, all of which are things Charles knows little to nothing about. The film follows Emma’s adulterous lifestyle as well as her compulsive spending on things they don’t need. She learns what credit is in terms of buying clothing on shopping sprees (in that fancy gowns and accessories are brought to her in old trunks kind of way) with little to no regard for her husband or how this debt will be paid back. When the debt catches up and her extramarital affairs surface, Emma commits suicide and the film comes to a close.
If you are an avid fan of the novel, there will be some noticeable differences in this movie. Emma never has their daughter, Berthe. Charles is not given much in terms of a backstory and the time in which the book takes place is far longer than the 2-3 years (at most) the film takes place in.
Overall I found this to be interesting enough and it was a nice way to refamiliarlize yourself with the material, I suggest you do not watch if you are a stickler for accuracy in details.
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