By SETH HYNES
Far From the Madding Crowd (M)
Starring: Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts, Michael Sheen, Thomas Sturridge
FAR from the Madding Crowd is a heart-breakingly beautiful period drama adapted from the classic Thomas Hardy novel.
In 1870s rural England, Bathsheba Everdeen (Carey Mulligan) is an independent woman in charge of a prosperous farm, but finds herself courted by three different suitors: the humble shepherd Gabriel (Matthias Schoenaerts), the middle-aged aristocrat Mr Boldwood (Michael Sheen) and the brash yet handsome Sergeant Troy (Thomas Sturridge).
Danish Director Thomas Vinterberg is gifted at crafting steady, visually stunning films driven by profound, shattering emotion – his Oscar-nominated 2012 film The Hunt is one of the most satisfyingly devastating films you will ever see.
This film is no exception. Translating the book’s blend of warmth and bleakness to the screen, Far From the Madding Crowd is a solemnly moving tale of Bathsheba (despite her confident success) becoming more worldly.
Your heart aches for Bathsheba as she weathers misfortune, grapples with society’s expectations of her, deals with her suitors’ unwanted attention and navigates her own complicated feelings for them – including her close (yet adversarial) friendship with Gabriel.
The sterling cast is excellent, but Mulligan is phenomenal in a dignified, quietly powerful performance that will almost certainly earn her the Best Actress Oscar next year.
For that matter, this film tells a better, more layered story of femininity than most other mainstream movies today.
Far From the Madding Crowd is a film of incredible nuance and elegant sadness.
