When Yagna finds herself caught between the conflicting desires of
the village's richest farmer, his eldest son, and other leading men of the community, her resistance puts her on a tragic collision course with the community around her.
So, this is not your typical drama. It is very art house in storytelling and presentation. The visuals are the absolute standout in this film. This is shot as live action, and then that footage is used as reference for oil painting animators. So basically, what happened is artists painted each frame of the movie, animating it like a drawing or a computer-generated movie, but painstakingly did it with brushes and oils.
Typically, films are shot at 24 frames a second, meaning that there would need to be 24 individual paintings done to capture one second of footage. Here, the FPS is 12, so only half as many paintings are required. And this gives the animation a unique look, because we can see the brushstrokes that are changing almost continuously throughout the story. It's magnificent to watch, and if you're into any sort of art, I think you're going to be spellbound by the beauty that they've created.
The actors also do a great job of emoting and crafting body language that captures feelings and emotions. And I think this is especially
important because fine details and faces and eyes, they're not captured. I mean, we can still see detail on somebody's face, but small looks or facial quirks, they're not translated like they would be in a live action film.
Now the story may make it a little difficult to become fully invested.
We're basically watching a slice of life for the character of Yacht, and then all of the drama that she creates and encounters within her small village. The narrative heavily focuses on the extreme patriarchy of the time, where the women had very little say over their bodies and
choices. But the story showcases how Yacht now works to challenge all these norms, flying in the face of long-standing beliefs and ways of life.
She's independent, sexually free, outspoken, strong, and opinionated. She's an easy protagonist to like, even if all those around her look down on her or besmirch her reputation. Now the story drama is probably like what you might expect from a repressed and oppressive of community. Older men fight over women, dictating who has the right to whom, all while also trying to navigate politics, food insecurities, and family dramas.
The movie clocks in at just under two hours, and because the pacing matches the village's way of life, this can feel slow. It never felt like it was dragging though, just a patiently unfolding personal drama that would occasionally be broken up by fights or outbursts.
There's really very little in this movie to not like. The art style is superb, bringing oil paintings to life in vivid ways that showcase the mastery of the artists. The acting is wonderful, bringing to life the gamut of emotions and personal dramas that translate through the screen despite not being shown every physical detail of someone's performance. And the themes of examining patriarchy along with growing independence and personal choices are just as relevant today as in the past.
The film does feel slow, but through patient storytelling we're immersed in a rural culture rich with complexities that's a joy to examine. I'll give The Peasants 8/10 rating. Viewers discretion is advised though because the movie does contain some sex scenes, nudity, maybe a tiny bit of profanity, and some violence including sexual assault.
