Madame Bovary (1991)

In the rustic charm of nineteenth-century France, we meet Charles Bovary, a small-town doctor, humble in his ways and recently widowed. His life takes a turn when he is introduced to the lively Emma Rouault, the passionate daughter of a local farmer, whom he treats. A whirlwind courtship ensues, and they soon find themselves entwined in the bonds of matrimony. Eager to please his new wife, Charles uproots their life and relocates to the quaint town of Yonville, hoping the change would quench Emma's thirst for a life beyond the ordinary. She's momentarily mesmerized by the grandeur of a Marquee's ball and the excitement of an agricultural fair. However, the simplicity of their existence soon becomes unbearable for her, and she yearns for an escape from her mundane marital life. Amidst the rural idyll, Emma's path crosses with the debonair landowner, Rodolphe Boulanger. He's a charmer, a seducer, and Emma quickly finds herself entangled in a passionate affair, a stark contrast to her life with the unsuspecting Charles. However, when Charles' reputation crumbles following a failed surgery, Emma's contempt for him grows, intensifying her secret rendezvous with Boulanger. Simultaneously, she starts living beyond her means, amassing a mountain of debt under the guise of credit from the cunning merchant Lheureux. She dreams of escaping with Boulanger to the city of Rouen, but fate has other plans, as her lover abandons her, leaving her heartbroken and ill. During her recuperation, she accompanies Charles to an opera in Rouen where she meets the young and spirited law student, Leon Dupuis, who soon becomes her newest romantic conquest. As her debts spiral out of control, Emma finds herself cornered. With her attempts to secure a loan being unsuccessful and the threat of her secret life being unveiled looming over her, she finds herself teetering on the edge of despair. This beautifully tragic adaptation of Flaubert's novel, "Madame Bovary," captures the essence of the human quest for fulfillment and the dire consequences of unchecked desires.

Madame Bovary is a drama movie featuring Isabelle Huppert.

Madame Bovary is currently streaming for free (ad-supported) on Kanopy and it's also available on ARROW.

It is also possible to buy Madame Bovary on Amazon Video, Apple TV, Google Play Movies and YouTube.