The Peasants (Chlopi)

2023 | Directed by DK Welchman and Hugh Welchman

The most striking thing about The Peasants is, without a doubt, the art style. Every scene was shot by camera and then painted by the over one hundred artists working on the film. The result is beautiful, with every shot literally being a painting.

I’ll admit that it was the art style that initially caught my attention and made me want to watch The Peasants. Unique and experimental styles in animation always draw me in, and this film didn’t disappoint in that regard. What I didn’t expect was that the experimental and beautiful animation actually made it harder for me to appreciate other parts of it. It took me a while to get my bearings, as something about the animation caught me off guard, possibly the low frame rate of six frames per second. For about the first quarter of the film, I had a hard time focusing on the plot. I did get used to it, though, and thoroughly enjoyed the story, the characters, and the soundtrack for the remaining runtime, together with the beautifully painted frames making up the animation.

The story, while not overly complex, is effective and emotional. In a small Polish village, the young Jagna is wooed by the richest farmer around, who’s a widower and ready to marry again, while simultaneously being pursued by the farmer’s already married son. What follows is an exploration of gender roles, the destructive power of rumors in a small, tightly knit society, and rural Polish traditions. Jagna, unable to choose her future for herself, is heading towards a tragic future, as are many of the film’s other characters. The story is deeply connected with the changing seasons, which simultaneously strengthens the emotional impact of the movie and provides some wonderful scenes that truly do the medium of painting justice.

Then there’s the soundtrack, which, in my opinion, is simply amazing. It fits the film perfectly, combining melancholy, wonder, and desire into a sum that’s larger than its parts and elevates the entire experience. I’ll be coming back to the soundtrack on Spotify many times in the future.

I finished The Peasants with a strange thought, that the art style that had initially drawn me in wasn’t actually necessary. There’s an effective and interesting plot, amazing music, and beautiful scenery. With those parts all working so well, and every scene actually being shot by camera before being painted, why even go through the trouble of painting them? It would’ve been interesting to compare the unique art style chosen for the film with the original footage. The art style is certainly striking, and perhaps the film wouldn’t have reached as large an audience otherwise, but I think The Peasants had enough good qualities even without it.