Director: DK Welchman, Hugh Welchman
Writers: Wladyslaw Stanislaw Reymont, DK Welchman, Hugh Welchman
Stars: Kamila Urzędowska, Miroslaw Baka, Robert Gulaczyk
Synopsis: Jagna is a young woman determined to forge her own path in a late 19th century Polish village – a hotbed of gossip and on-going feuds, held together, rich and poor, by adherence to colorful traditions and deep-rooted patriarchy.
One difficult process in filmmaking is, essentially, matching. Certain styles match certain stories. One cannot, or should not, simply recreate a style, simply because it worked for a previous film. Some of our most popular filmmakers make this mistake. Do all of Quentin Tarantino’s movies need to be told out of order? Probably not. But that stylistic choice is expected at this point. Same with M. Night Shyamalan and twist endings, until relatively recently. And that brings us to a lesser known directing duo, DK and Hugh Welchman, creators of the Academy Award nominated, for Best Animated Feature, Loving Vincent.
The particular techniques used, creating animated frames using oil painting, was, for obvious reasons, a perfect fit for a film about the life, trials, and tribulations of painter Vincent Van Gogh. The Peasants, as you will likely be aware, is not about a painter. It is based on the book of the same name written by Wladyslaw Reymont. To briefly summarize, The Peasants is the story of Jagna Paczesiówna (Kamila Urzędowska), a stunningly beautiful peasant girl who, despite rumors of sexual behavior, is desired by men in the village. The dark story takes place over four seasons and tells a difficult truth about the dangers of a woman being desired, in more ways than one.
Now, although I said that this is a bad match, it does not mean that there is nothing to be gained visually from this particular style of animation. There are numerous sequences that are literally worthy of a gasp of appreciation. One absolutely cannot deny the craftsmanship and the amazing amount of time and effort that clearly went into The Peasants. Specifically, there are three segments that truly work with this style. As mentioned, the movie is split into four chapters, or seasons. These moments, as we watch the land literally change and move are breathtaking to witness. Additionally, the wedding and dance sequence are both stunners. This animation allows us to almost feel the texture and weight of Jagna’s dress and it is wildly effective.
Unfortunately, these moments are few and far between. The rest of the action, such as it is, is much more static. As such, there are many times in which the animation distracts from what is happening on screen. Given the darkness, almost impenetrably so, of the story, The Peasants is strong enough to stand on its own without said distraction or what sadly feels gimmicky. This is even more galling because the story itself is not gimmicky or standard in any way. Given Jagna’s forced wedding to Maciej Boryna (Miroslaw Baka), audience expectation is that the man that she loves, Boryna’s son, Antek (Robert Gulaczyk), would be much more kind, a romantic hero of sorts. These ideals exist within Antek, but he is also a married man with children who sells out Jagna’s good name at a moment’s notice. And this is the least of his crimes against the innocent.
The Peasants does a wonderful job of having the audience root for Jagna, even as she is acting in a way that we know is inherently dangerous. Much of this has to do with Kamila Urzędowska stunning facial expressions and openness. But it must be noted that the directors pick and choose the perfect moments to focus on her and when to move outside to the judgmental townsfolk. This is another strength of the film. Upon introduction, both the women and the men of the village gossip and talk viciously about Jagna. They note her beauty and desirability, but also maintain that she is not to be trusted, both because of this beauty and rumors of her promiscuity. This promiscuity is mostly unfounded, but we all know that doesn’t matter. If it is believed to be true, it is as good as true.
The ending of The Peasants will not be a surprise, though I won’t spoil it here. We all see it coming, because we know the trap of beauty for women in our culture and throughout history. We may wish for it to be different, but it would ring hollow if there was a white knight swooping in to save Jagna. She is pushed and pulled by the whims of a patriarchal society and, through our own anxiety, it comes crashing down exactly as we expect. It is a defeat, but a realistic one, sadly. The Peasants, if you can move past the beautiful yet distracting visual style, is a powerful and depressing story that hints at the dangers of beauty, the power of public opinion, and our own fear of female freedom and sexuality.
