From the creators of Loving Vincent, Jagna is a young woman determined to forge her own path within the confines of a late 19th century Polish village — a hotbed of gossip and ongoing feuds, held together, rich and poor, by pride in their land, adherence to colorful traditions and deep-rooted patriarchy. When Jagna 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. The Peasants is based on the Nobel Prize-winning novel of the same name.

For in-depth thoughts on The Peasants, please see my colleague Andre Couture’s review from its original theatrical release here.

Video Quality

The Peasants comes to Blu-Ray from Sony with a striking transfer that looks quite excellent. Colors are bright and bold throughout the film with some excellent nuance from season to season throughout the year. The story knows how to thematically utilize various hues to underscore some of the emotions at play. This style of painted animation is a feast for the eyes, and it is represented perfectly on this disc. Fine lines and details are crisp and maintained well without any unintentional bleeding. There does not appear to be any issues with banding. This is an immaculately clear presentation free of any digital artifacts which is to be expected from a brand-new movie. The film establishes a rich visual style and sharp presentation which looks great on Blu-Ray.

Audio Quality

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment delivers a Blu-Ray with a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track in the original Polish, along with an English dub in the same lossless format. While we strongly recommend sticking with the original language for any film, both tracks with recreate this material without fail. The nuances of this village keep things sonically engaging from animal sounds to weather effects like rain. The dialogue emanates clearly without being overshadowed by the terrific score from Lukasz Rostkowski or any environmental effects. The sounds in the rear speakers provide a reasonable expansion of the soundscape. The environmental effects are precisely defined and given a considerate placement throughout the speakers. Sony has done a top-notch job with this one. There are optional English, English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles provided.

Special Features

Theatrical Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided.

Final Thoughts

The Peasants is a film that functions better as a stunning example of visual artistry more so than an undeniable narrative achievement. This team has upped the ante on this latest outing in terms of artistic ambition as the screen is filled with awe-inspiring frames. At the same time, while it may be adapted from an acclaimed novel, the story feels a bit too pedestrian when exploring the ways that patriarchy ruins women’s lives. We wanted more to the story than just a frustrating descent into hell. A little more time spent getting to know the intricacies of this village may have helped things feel more natural and impactful. We respect what is accomplished, but the two pillars of the film do not line up for us. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray with a dynamite A/V presentation but barely any special features.

The Peasants can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or various other online retailers.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.