The Peasants (2023 film)

For the original novel, see The Peasants. For the 1973 adaptation, see The Peasants (1973 film). For similar titles, see Peasant (disambiguation).

2023 Polish film

The Peasants

Theatrical release poster

Chłopi
Directed by| DK Welchman
Hugh Welchman
Screenplay by| DK Welchman
Hugh Welchman
Based on| The Peasants
by Władysław Reymont
Produced by| Hugh Welchman
Sean M. Bobbitt
Starring| Kamila Urzędowska
Robert Gulaczyk
Mirosław Baka
Sonia Mietielica
Ewa Kasprzyk
Cyprian Grabowski
Cezary Łukaszewicz
Małgorzata Kożuchowska
Sonia Bohosiewicz
Dorota Stalińska
Andrzej Konopka
Marcin Rusin
Maciej Musiał
Cinematography| Radosław Ładczuk
Kamil Polak
Szymon Kuriata
Edited by| DK Welchman
Patrycja Piróg
Miki Węcel
Music by| Łukasz "L.U.C." Rostkowski

Production
companies

BreakThru Films
DigitalKraft
Art Shot

Distributed by| Next Film (Poland)

Release dates

* 13 September 2023 (2023-09-13) (TIFF)
* 13 October 2023 (2023-10-13) (Poland)

Running time

| 115 minutes[1]
Countries| Poland
Serbia
Lithuania
Language| Polish
Box office| $9.7 million[2]

The Peasants (Polish: Chłopi) is a 2023 internationally co-produced adult animated historical drama film directed and written by DK Welchman and Hugh Welchman. An adaptation of Władysław Reymont's Nobel Prize-winning novel of the same name, the film was produced using the painted animation technique similar to the pair's previous film, Loving Vincent. The film stars an ensemble cast featuring Kamila Urzędowska, Robert Gulaczyk, Mirosław Baka, Sonia Mietielica, Ewa Kasprzyk, Cezary Łukaszewicz, Małgorzata Kożuchowska, Sonia Bohosiewicz, Dorota Stalińska, Andrzej Konopka, Marcin Rusin and Maciej Musiał.

The world premiere took place at the Toronto International Film Festival before being theatrically released in Poland on 13 October 2023. It received mixed reviews.

## Plot[edit]

The movie, like Reymont's novel, is divided into four parts corresponding to each of the four seasons. It takes place at the turn of the twentieth century, over the course of one year, in the village of Lipce.

Autumn

A beautiful, yet modest, young peasant Jagna Paczesiówna, with a talent for creating cutouts, is in love with Antek Boryna, the son of the richest peasant in the village, Maciej Boryna. However, Antek has a wife, Hanka, who has a hard time accepting her husband's advancements towards another woman. In addition, Maciej, who is a widower looking for a new wife, decides to marry Jagna and give her six acres of land as a dowry. Antek and Hanka disapprove of this decision. After a fight with Antek, Maciej orders both his son as well as his daughter-in-law to leave the farm.

Winter

Despite being married to Maciej Boryna, Jagna still has a secret affair with the exiled Antek. Maciej repeatedly catches his wife with his son. In addition, Maciej is troubled by the decision of the landowners' court to cut down forests belonging to the peasants. He gathers men from the village to take revenge on the landowners. During the Fierce fight with the landowners' emissaries Maciej is seriously injured, for which Antek takes brutal revenge. The fights are interrupted by the intrusion of Russian troops, who arrest many peasants from Lipce, including Antek. Meanwhile, Jagna, accused of bringing misfortune upon the village, struggles with increasing isolation.

Spring

Maciej, lying wounded on the bed, secretly hands Hanka hidden money to provide food for her family. Meanwhile, Jagna gets an offer from mayor Piotr to help free Antek from arrest. However, the mayor takes advantage of the situation, getting her drunk and unsuccessfully trying to rape her. One day, Maciej instinctively gets up from the bed in order to sow his field, but collapses and dies during sowing. Antek returns from arrest and takes over his father's property. Antek, noticing Jagna during the carolers' visit, lures and rapes her.

Summer

Jagna, now with a reputation of being a promiscuous woman, rejects the offer to marry a carpenter named Mateusz out of spite. The residents of Lipce discuss the matter of Jagna and decide to banish her from the village. Antek, who is now Lipce's most influential person, allows the peasants to carry out a lynch. Outraged, they attack the hut where Jagna is hiding, tear off her clothes and take her to the edge of the village. There they beat and throw dirt at her, leaving her naked in the rain. After some time, the humiliated Jagna gets up, lets the rain wash the mud off her, and marches out into the world.

## Cast[edit]

* Kamila Urzędowska as Jagna
* Robert Gulaczyk as Antek Boryna
* Mirosław Baka as Maciej Boryna
* Sonia Mietielica as Hanka Borynowa
* Ewa Kasprzyk as Dominikowa
* Cyprian Grabowski as Witek
* Cezary Łukaszewicz as Michał, Maciej Boryna's son-in-law
* Małgorzata Kożuchowska as The Organist's Wife
* Sonia Bohosiewicz as The Mayor's Wife
* Dorota Stalińska as Jagustynka
* Andrzej Konopka as The Mayor
* Mateusz Rusin as Mateusz
* Maciej Musiał as Jasio

## Production[edit]

The film was produced using the painted animation technique over the production of five years, similar to the Welchman duo's previous film, Loving Vincent.[3] Initially the film was shot with the actors, and then more than a hundred painters in four studios in Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine, and Serbia painted oil paintings based on the shots, which became frames in the film. Animators then worked to supplement the paintings to make the whole film seamless. The artists spent over 200,000 hours in total working on the project.[4]

The film features works from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, with an emphasis on Young Poland artists. It includes interpretations of works by artists such as Józef Chełmoński, Ferdynand Ruszczyc and Leon Wyczółkowski.[3] Józef Chełmoński's works that are alluded to in the film include the following:[5][6][7]

* Bociany (Storks)

* Żurawie (Cranes)

* Babie lato (Indian Summer)

The film is a co-production by BreakThru Films in Poland, Art Shot in Lithuania, and Digitalkraft in Serbia)[8]

### Music[edit]

The score is by Łukasz Rostkowski[4] (aka "L.U.C"), a Polish MC, rapper, activist, and music producer based in Wrocław.[citation needed] As founder of the international Rebel Babel Ensemble[9] (aka Rebel Babel Film Orchestra), he has created a "Multimedia concert" with Rebel Babel for the film.[10] The score was released on November 3, 2023.[11]

Singer-songwriter Katie Melua features on an English-language version of the track, "End of Summer", which features in the closing of the film's soundtrack. The single was released on 26 January 2024.[12][13]

### 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine impact[edit]

When the MOREFILM animation studio in Kyiv, which was run by two producers Olga Zhurzhenko and Desniana Rozhkova, was closed down overnight in February 2022, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the film's producers launched a rapid response to help the Ukrainian artists and their families, moving as many as possible to Poland to continue working. As not all Ukrainian artists were able to leave, in August 2022 BreakThru Films helped to relaunch the MOREFILM animation studio in Kyiv, providing work for fifteen painters and staff.[3]

From October 2022, another wave of bombings and associated power cuts began in Ukraine. However, the painters wanted to continue to create, and arranged their schedule to the rhythm of the power cuts, waiting in the cold when that electricity was out. In late autumn, BreakThru Films launched a campaign on a crowdfunding website to urgently raise funds to purchase a power generator that would restore the artists' ability to work.[3]

## Release[edit]

The world premiere took place at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 13, 2023, in the Special Presentations section.[14][8] It was also invited at the 28th Busan International Film Festival in 'Flash Forward' section and was screened on 8 October 2023.[15]

The film was released in Polish cinemas on October 13, 2023[16] by distributor Next Film.[17]

As of July 2023[update], the film had been sold to over 40 countries.[18] In September 2023, Sony Pictures Classics acquired distribution rights to the film for North and Latin America, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand.[19]

In United States, it was released for a one-week awards-qualifying run beginning 8 December 2023 in New York City and Los Angeles, followed by a limited theatrical release starting on 26 January 2024.[20][21]

## Reception[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 53% based on 34 reviews, with an average rating of 6.3/10. The critical consensus reads: "The Peasants is a tremendous visual achievement, although the story may be disappointingly conventional in comparison."[22] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 66 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "Generally Favorable" reviews.[23] [24] In Poland the movie has enjoyed a critical acclaim. On the review aggregator Mediakrytyk, which uses a weighted average, film holds rating of 8.1 based on 32 reviews, indicating "very positively rated and approved by the critics".[25]

### Box office in Poland[edit]

With over 141,000 admissions The Peasants recorded the biggest opening weekend for a Polish film in 2023, dethroning Agnieszka Holland's Green Border.[26] After 12 days of release, the distributor Next Film has reported that the number of admissions passed 500,000.[27] By 30 October 2023 the number of recorded admissions rose to above 750,000 making the movie the most popular Polish release of 2023.[28] On 6 November 2023 the distributor informed that the movie has reached above 1 million admissions in Polish cinemas.[29]

### Accolades[edit]

Award / Film Festival  | Date of ceremony  | Category  | Recipient(s)  | Result  | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|

Polish Film Festival | 23 September 2023  | Best Film  | The Peasants | Nominated  | [30]
Special Jury Prize  | Won
Audience Award  | Won
22 September 2022  | Crystal Star Elle Award  | Kamila Urzędowska  | Won  | [31]
Chopard Loves Cinema - Chopard & W. Kruk Award  | Won
Busan International Film Festival | 13 October 2023 | Flash Forward Award  | The Peasants | Nominated  | [32]
Valladolid International Film Festival | 28 October 2023 | Alquimias Award  | Nominated  | [33]
Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival | 19 November 2023  | Best Baltic Film  | Pending  | [34]
Boston Society of Film Critics Awards | December 10, 2023 | Best Animated Film | Runner-up[a] | [35]

## See also[edit]

* List of submissions to the 96th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
* List of Polish submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film

## Notes[edit]

1. ^ Shared with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Robot Dreams.

## References[edit]

1. ^ "The Peasants (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 13 November 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
2. ^ "The Peasants". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
3. ^ a b c d Gzyl, Paweł (23 December 2022). "W Polsce i w Ukrainie powstaje aktorska animacja według "Chłopów". Artyści w Kijowie pracują mimo rosyjskiej inwazji". Gazeta Krakowska (in Polish). Retrieved 31 July 2023.
4. ^ a b Michalak, Ada (30 June 2023). "Jest pierwszy zwiastun filmu "Chłopi". Tworzą go twórcy "Twojego Vincenta"". Rzeczpospolita (in Polish). Retrieved 1 August 2023.
5. ^ Talik, Magdalena (8 September 2023). "„Chłopi" Reymonta jako malarska animacja. Pierwszy polski pokaz filmu twórców „Twojego Vincenta"". wroclaw.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 6 February 2024. "Wielkim atutem filmu będzie jego malarskość, a obejrzymy na ekranie kadry stworzone na podstawie malarstwa okresu Młodej Polski (m.in. obrazy Józefa Chełmońskiego „Bociany" czy „Babie lato")."
6. ^ Kwiatkowska, Beata (19 August 2021). ""Chłopi" Doroty Kobieli - "Ten film będzie namalowany w stylu Młodej Polski"". Polskie Radio (in Polish). Retrieved 6 February 2024. "\- Nie chcemy, żeby to wyglądało jak komputerowo przerobione zdjęcia aktorskie, ale żeby film był malowniczy, żeby było widać pociągnięcia pędzla, może nie tak wygładzone jak u Chełmońskiego, który zresztą i tak jest jedną z inspiracji w naszym filmie. Wykorzystaliśmy "Babie lato" i "Żurawie", bardzo ładnie to wygląda - przybliżał proces powstawania filmu jego producent."
7. ^ "Jakie obrazy zainspirowały kadry z filmu „Chłopi"?". Niezła Sztuka (in Polish). 21 October 2023. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
8. ^ a b "The Peasants world premiere on Toronto International Film Festival". Film in Serbia. 28 July 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
9. ^ "Rebel Babel Ensemble". Gallatin Street Records. 2 November 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
10. ^ Rebel Babel Film Orchestra; BreakThru Films; L.U.C. "The Peasants" (PDF).
11. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
12. ^ "End of Summer (from "The Peasants" Soundtrack) - Single". Apple Music. 26 January 2024. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
13. ^ Janiszewska-Cardone, Aleksandra (19 December 2023). "Poland's Oscar entry brings "peasant-mania" to the 21st century". Notes From Poland. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
14. ^ "The Peasants". TIFF. 12 July 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
15. ^ "The 28th Busan International Film Festival: Selection List". Busan International Film Festival. 5 September 2023. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
16. ^ Dalton, Ben. "Polish animation and awards hopeful 'The Peasants' scores UK deal (exclusive)". Screen. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
17. ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (28 June 2023). "'The Peasants' Teaser: Makers Of Oscar-Nominated 'Loving Vincent' Return With "More Spectacular" 19th Century Epic Drama". Deadline. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
18. ^ ""Peasants". The film's world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival". Polish News. 31 July 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
19. ^ Grobar, Matt (29 September 2023). "Sony Pictures Classics Acquires Polish Oscar Entry 'The Peasants' From 'Loving Vincent' Filmmakers". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
20. ^ "The Peasants | Sony Pictures Classics". sonyclassics.com. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
21. ^ Desowitz, Bill (28 November 2023). "2024 Oscars: Best Animated Feature Predictions". IndieWire. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
22. ^ "The Peasants - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
23. ^ "The Peasants". Metacritic. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
24. ^ "The Peasants review – disconcertingly beautiful animation of a dark Polish saga". The Guadian.
25. ^ "Chłopi (2023) - Mediakrytyk". mediakrytyk.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 27 September 2023.
26. ^ "Rekordowy wynik "Chłopów" w kinach". Rzeczpospolita (in Polish). Retrieved 26 October 2023.
27. ^ "Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
28. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
29. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
30. ^ Nussen, Greg (28 September 2023). "Polish Film Festival 2023: Kos, Next to Nothing, The Peasants, Imago, Anxiety, & More". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
31. ^ "Young Gala | Winners of the 48th PFF - Festiwal Polskich Filmów Fabularnych". 22 September 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
32. ^ "Busan International Film Festival". Busan International Film Festival. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
33. ^ "Seminci premieres the Alquimias section, the main novelty of the program, a space for the discovery of vibrant and original cinema". Valladolid International Film Festival (in Spanish). 3 October 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
34. ^ "Baltic Film Competition line-up released!". poff.ee. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
35. ^ Anderson, Erik (10 December 2023). "2023 Boston Society of Film Critics (BSFC): 'The Holdovers' Wins Best Film, Actor, Supporting Actress, Screenplay". AwardsWatch. Retrieved 11 December 2023.

## External links[edit]

* The Peasants at IMDb
* Official website