Gemma Bovary is a French film that was released in 2014, but coming to the US soon. The French dialogue is subtitled and there is some English. It was one of the latest movies from the Arthouse Film Festival.

This movie follows the life of Martin, a well-read baker in a small town in the Normandy section of France. One day, while tending his garden, new neighbors move in across the lane. They introduce themselves as Charlie and Gemma Bovery [sic]. They have decided to leave England for a while, and start a new life elsewhere. Charlie restores furniture, and Gemma has decided to embrace the country life wholly and completely. She loves all the breads that Martin bakes, and they become acquainted over time.

Martin begins to see parallels between the lives of Gemma and the literary character, Madame Bovary. She has become the lonely wife of an uninvolved husband, much like the Madame in Gustave Flaubert’s novel, which, coincidentally also took place in Normandy. He becomes a voyeur of her comings and goings, hoping that Gemma’s fate is different from the Madame’s.

The film is a bit of a black comedy. I can’t comment on the parallels between the book and the movie, since I never read it. Perhaps that made it more appealing, but even so, I found this movie entertaining in its own right. Recommended to those who enjoy a bit of French Cinema.