A story about human desires and wanting to be the best
Gustave Flaubert’s famous book Madame Bovary has been made into a feature film. The story is about a woman named Emma Bovary (Mia Wasikowska), who married at a young age and even though she leads a somewhat lavish lifestyle, she is unsatisfied. Bovary wants more, and seems to need more. She looks at the wealthiest of people and wants to be them and in wanting that she goes to extreme lengths to achieve that life, going as far as having extramarital affairs in order to rise in social status. She gets so consumed in these affairs and wanting to be a socialite, her life begins to spiral downward.
Madame Bovary was very interesting. Mia does a stellar job portraying Bovary’s transformation not only in appearance but also in demeanor as the movie progresses. She turns from a humble, quiet, and earnest woman to a power hungry, narcissistic, and needy “socialite.” There isn’t much dialogue within the movie but the lack of dialogue made room for excellent acting. Madame Bovary functions on being secretive and deceptive. She remains calm and collected as she converses with her husband, while in reality she is having an affair. With this in mind, the way Wasikowska is able to play both sides of Bovary speaks volumes of her talents as an actor. She is able to basically play two characters, the Madame Bovary that is a “loyal” wife to her husband, and the Madame Bovary that is power hungry and has a burning desire to rise in social ranking. Overall, Madame Bovary does a fine job at entertaining as well as staying true to Flaubert’s message. The film is now playing.
-Vinesh Vora
