This animated film is set during a harsh era, yet it brings the viewer into a beautiful world of pure artistry. The Peasants is magnificent in its art-form direction. The whole movie is like viewing one massive painting taking the viewer through a story of desire and conflict. In The Peasants, all the moments were captured on a camera. The film is compiled of eighty-thousand paintings and many gallons of paint. It is all combined to build an experience where the audience will feel the vibrant feelings in the essence of the film’s historical setting with its central point of view. Directed by Dk and Hugh Welchman, The Peasants is one of the most prolific achievements I have seen in a highly creative film that crafts its story to be strong and meaningful. It all feels very real as the visuals around the film crank up the volume of the emotions that weave throughout this extraordinary and unique spectacle.

The imagery grasps the art truthfully. It does so right in the beginning of the plot. The film takes place in a Polish-village in the late 19th century. The village is a town filled with tons of rumors amongst its people. There is also a great disparity between the rich and the poor. Many of the inhabitants live by tradition and patriarchy. Patriarchy is the most dominating factor of conflict in The Peasants. Jagna Paczesiowna (played by Kamila Urzedowska), is a beautiful girl living her life in the belittling village of The Peasants and she finds herself in a situation where is forced to marry Maciaj Boryna (played by Miroslaw Baka). Maciaj is a wealthy older man and a landowner who only dwells on his wealth and his desires. Maciaj’s children question his judgment and despise him for it. His son is Antek Boryna (played by Robert Galaczyk), and he falls in love with Jagna. Despite his love and feelings for Jagna, he also has that attitude of thinking that he wants what his father has…Jagna (the woman he loves) and the land (which partially belongs to him). A journey of love and deceit begins that must travelthrough many barriers. This is experimental film of magnificence in dramatics with many layers of painted visuals adding to the richness of the tale.

I loved the astounding visuals of moving colors of wonder that is consistent in The Peasants. The depths and determination of Jagna’s detrimental lifestyle is where The Peasants adds fuel to its fire. It is a film where the flaws of corruption and love boil down truthfully and faithfully. Does Jagna truly love Maciaj? Does Maciaj truly love Jagna? Is Antek truly in love with Jagna or just want his father’s land? Everyone fights for their desires in The Peasants.

The father and son hatred between Maciaj and Antek is what keeps the conflicts growing among the villagers and for Jagna.  The different classes have different points of view as a war wages for the acres amongst political corruption when it comes to Antek and Maciaj. Jagan is both a pawn and a target because of her beauty. The dynamics of the film have its characters constantly having serious thoughts of what their future holds.

There is that sense of pervasive sadness in The Peasants. It is continuously poetic to make each moment count in its exploration of truth and love and family dynamics. The film goes through the seasons of autumn, winter, spring, and summer—the shifts of the many seasons are a landscape of challenging journeys fighting to find light in. As Jagna is the center of hatred for the villagers, will she find a way out of the lifestyle her life has fallen into? Is there truly love between Antek and her? Will the Polish village find piece? How frequently do the colors shift to create a reminiscence of amazing wonders and suspense? The Peasants is a most thrilling and colorful experience with a breathtaking story. Four stars for The Peasants.