The major standout of The Peasants is the absolutely stunning animation work that was done. It blows my mind that over 40,000 paintings went into this film. After it was first shot in live-action, over 100 animators got to work to create this beautiful piece of cinematic history and a creative milestone in animation.
Directors DK Welchman and Hugh Welchman created a stunning movie, and knowing that this was first shot in the live-action format makes it even more impressive. The film follows Jagna (played by Kamila Urzedowska), who is a young woman trying to live peacefully in 19th-century Poland among gossip, feuds, and entrenched patriarchy. When she lives with her mom, she meets Antek (played by Robert Gulaczyk), and at that point, I thought the film would turn into a beautiful love story between Antek and Jagna.
The Peasants is very slow, and I had a hard time gripping the actual plot of the film. The animation is severely gripping at first, but that chokehold definitely wears off by the end of the first act, and I found that the plot wasn’t going to actually go anywhere. The film is obviously so stunning, but the plot needs some serious work. Along with this, at some points, the animation did get a little clunky and confusing, but I don’t see that as a huge problem, for the animation is literally hand-painted, so it won’t be perfect.
I also found it hard to dive into the world the movie is in, simply because the film and its directors don’t seem to give the world, in this case, 19th-century Poland, a backstory, or any sort of world-building effect. I would’ve easily enjoyed this film a lot more if it was more immersive and had more of a world-building strategy.
Directors: DK Welchman, Hugh Welchman
Cast: Kamila Urzedowska, Robert Gulaczyk, Miroslaw Baka, Sonia Mietielica, Ewa Kasprzyk, Mateusz Rusin
Rating: R (for violence including rape, sexuality, and full nudity)
Release Date: 12/8/23 – Limited, 1/26/24 – Wider
In the end, The Peasants is an absolutely stunning film, and the animation work is nothing like I’ve seen before. But, I felt as if the plot needed some work. At some points, the movie felt rushed, and at other points, the movie felt very stretched out, which led to a pacing issue for me. I will leave off by saying that despite the film’s plot being a little clunky, the film is a must-watch, just for the experience, and getting to live through the immaculately detailed animation.
Wyatt’s Takes 