The Bridges of Madison County

“I was acting like another woman, yet I was more myself than ever before…” During one summer in 1960s Madison County, Iowa, a married-with-children Italian-American housewife (Meryl Streep) finds fleeting romance with a rugged, passing-through-town National Geographic photographer (Clint Eastwood). It’s only four days, but it’s enough to fuel an infatuation that stretches even beyond their deaths. The rare literary adaptation to surpass its source material, this stirring, pro-adultery drama is elevated by the finely shaded performances and by Eastwood’s masterful direction, which turns a montage of a blinking car taillight, a rearview mirror, and a passenger side door handle into a heart-stopping, will-they-won’t-they emotional crescendo.