Madame Bovary (2014)

Directed by Sophie Barthes, this is a superb adaptation of the 1856 novel by Gustave Flaubert. 

Emma Bovary (Mia Wasikowska) finds her marriage to a village doctor stifling and lifeless. She seeks more exciting distractions, with disastrous consequences.  

Wasikowska is excellent, as is the supporting cast. My only criticism is that Emma's character seems to change too quickly, with her downward spiral beginning rather suddenly after years of quiet restraint. This sort of character development can be handled more subtly across a novel but can seem rushed in the 118-minute running time of a film.

Jane Eyre (2011)

Compelling and powerful adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s 1847 novel, directed by Cary Fukunaga. 

Mia Wasikowska stars in the title role, while Rochester is played by Michael Fassbender. Both of them are absolutely at the top of their game, delivering subtle and nuanced performances. 

There’s something highly believable about it – a gritty realism that’s often lost when revered classics are filmed.

The Kids Are All Right (2010)

Directed by Lisa Cholodenko, this is an absolutely superb family drama full of smart comic observation. 

Julianne Moore and Annette Bening star as a lesbian couple whose lives are turned upside down when their children get in touch with the sperm donor who fathered them. 

It’s like a play in that almost everything relates to conversations between the main five characters. 

Moore and Benning are brilliant at playing absolutely insufferable know-it-alls. It’s quite painful to watch their self-importance, expertly rendered through gestures, phrasing and body language. 

Also brilliant are Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson playing the children who seem wiser than their mothers, and Mark Ruffalo who plays their newly discovered father. 

It’s a fascinating exploration of how relationships and family units work – and don't work.