Last time I saw the superb Fabrice Luchini, he was obsessing over a gifted teen with a talent for literature in François Ozon’s In the House. His role isn’t much different in Anna Fontaine’s film, playing a married-and-bored baker obsessing over his gorgeous new neighbour Gemma Bovery (Gemma Arterton) whose life unfolds eerily similar to that of his beloved novel – Madame Bovary. But while his character in Luchini’s film powered his co-lead’s narrative, Fontaine turns him into a mild obstruction in Gemma’s story. It makes Gemma Bovery a frustrating experience in hindsight.
The film gets off on the right foot, with Luchini hitting every comedic touch and Arterton playing into the angelic simpleton role that fuels his fantasies. But when she starts entering the forewarned romantic entanglement, his role doesn’t hold much strength beyond ‘audience avatar’, with noticeable weaknesses creeping up. The most obvious drawback comes with the mention of Gemma’s previous relationship, a flashback too brief to feel significant only to become a major factor in the third act.
Gemma Bovery relies on you to buy its ending, but when the story already hinges on too many coincidences to ignore, the film doesn’t sell the conclusion beyond what it is: an annoying contrivance. Die-hard fans of Gustave Flaubert’s novel might find enough amusement in this quirky take to warrant a watch, but for anyone craving a complex story of love and passion, you’re better off holding out for Sophie Barthes’ Madame Bovary.
