Far from the Madding Crowd is a 2015 British[2] romantic drama film directed by Thomas Vinterberg and starring Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts, Tom Sturridge, Michael Sheen, and Juno Temple.

While working on her aunt's farm in Dorset, Bathsheba Everdene (Carey Mulligan) meets neighbouring farmer, Gabriel Oak (Matthias Schoenaerts).

While in town trading her seed, Bathsheba sees her neighbour William Boldwood (Michael Sheen), a prosperous and mature bachelor.

Bathsheba delays giving him a final answer, and Gabriel admonishes her for toying with Boldwood's affections.

Returning to the farm, the newly married couple celebrate with all the workers and Troy begins to show his bad side.

When Gabriel seeks help to protect the hayricks from an approaching storm, Troy, belligerent and drunk, refuses to take him seriously.

Gabriel single-handedly tries to cover the harvest with tarpaulins and Bathsheba, ashamed of Troy's drunken behaviour, comes out into the stormy weather to help.

Enraged, Boldwood emerges from the house and kills Troy with a single blast from his double-barrelled shotgun, for which he is promptly imprisoned.

[7] Matthias Schoenaerts was offered the role of Gabriel Oak alongside Carey Mulligan as Bathsheba Everdene.

[9] Mulligan claimed, in an appearance on The Graham Norton Show, that she hand-picked Schoenaerts to play Gabriel Oak after she saw him in the French film Rust and Bone.

[12] Thomas Vinterberg invented the scene in which Sergeant Troy clutches Bathsheba's crotch after the sword tricks because he wanted it to get more drastically sexual.

It features the song "Let No Man Steal Your Thyme" performed by Carey Mulligan and Michael Sheen.

The website's critical consensus reads, "Far from the Madding Crowd invites tough comparisons to Thomas Hardy's classic novel – and its previous adaptation – but stands on its own thanks to strong direction and a talented cast.

"[19] Metacritic gave the film a score of 71 out of 100, based on 40 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

[20] Carey Mulligan's performance was critically praised and some considered it better than the 1967 adaptation starring Julie Christie.

[21][22] Rolling Stone's Peter Travers, in his three out of four star review, said "Vinterberg may rush the final act, but he brings out the wild side in Mulligan, who can hold a close-up like nobody's business.