Gemma Bovery

This handsome tragicomedy introduces Gemma Bovery (Gemma Arterton) on the arm of her new husband (Jason Flemyng), having relocated from London to a small village in Normandy. Their neighbour is Martin (Fabrice Luchini), a middle-aged baker who realises that - in addition to her name - Gemma shares a number of similarities with Madame Bovary, the heroine of the classic Flaubert novel. He is drawn to Gemma, but at the same time he is overly concerned with her daily exploits, growing more fearful that she might suffer the same tragic fate as her fictional counterpart. As Gemma embarks on an extramarital liaison, director Anne Fontaine (Coco avant Chanel) orchestrates a handful of sensual sequences, making excellent use of Arterton and her curves. The British actress is as good as she's ever been, delivering a strong performance in the title role, while Luchini offers some terrific facial expressions as Gemma's fretful stalker. While the events aren't particularly funny or dramatic, the characters are engaging.