The Peasants

The Peasants (2024) is a visually stunning film that transports the viewer to a 19th-century Polish village as events unfold over four seasons. Using the same technique from their previous film, Loving Vincent, the filmmakers use a blend of real-life actors and oil paintings to create the effect of paintings brought to life in a unique animation style. The story is based on the Nobel Prize winning novel of the same name by Wladyslaw Reymont in which a beautiful young woman, Jagna, is pursued by the wealthiest farmer in the village, the recently widowed, much older Boryna. Jagna is a free spirit who unfortunately happens to be in love with Boryna’s married son, so disaster is inevitable for all involved. The soap opera-esque plot does not detract, though, from the overall exhilarating feel of the movie, with its lively Polish folk music and costumes, and is a fascinating glimpse into another time and place, of a community deeply connected to the land and to their traditions. 

You can watch the trailer here.