I can’t think of a better time in the past decade or two for those or us who love smaller, quality, plot-driven films filled with esteemed actors who can almost effortlessly wring tears from a thoughtful audience. A few week’s ago we were treated to Helen Mirren and Ryan Reynolds in Woman in Gold. Last week it was Blake Lively in The Age of Adeline. And this week we have Carey Mulligan and Michael Sheen in Far From the Maddening Crowd, destined to be a classic before it’s even released.

In case you’re not up on your Thomas Hardy, Far From the Madding Crowd is his fourth novel, and the less you remember about it the better–it’s much more fun to be surprised. Although it’s set in the Victorian English countryside, it goes way beyond giggling girls in drawing rooms attempting to find well situated husbands, although there is an incident of an unfortunate Valentine gone awry. This tale centers on one very independent Bathsheba Everdene (Mulligan), who makes it clear from the beginning that she doesn’t need a man to determine her fortune.

In a surprisingly feminist twist for the era, girlfriend has options. Three suitors woo her; the quiet, smoldering and oh-so-handsome shepherd Gabriel Oaks (Matthias Schoenaerts, a Belgian actor whom you’ve probably never seen before but will want to see again…and again…and again…), the wealthy landowner William Boldwood (Michael Sheen, almost as reserved and awkward as he is in Masters of Sex), and reckless army sergeant Frank Troy (Tom Sturridge, whom you may or may not recognize from a handful of solid British films like Pirate Radio and Vanity Fair).

The cinematography and score are lush and rich, and Mulligan, with her far from the Hollywood crowd beauty that runs deep, gives an Oscar-worthy performance. Danish Director Thomas Vinterberg, whom you’ll never forget if you saw his haunting film The Hunt, adroitly keeps things profound but not plodding. This is another movie you can see with your mother, your daughter, your true love or your best friend, and you’ll all feel enriched, entertained, and moved.

Rated PG-13

1 Hour 59 Minutes

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FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD Review