Picture: Sony Pictures Classic
One of the best things about Netflix is that it can often add an absolute hidden gem that wouldn’t see the light of day otherwise. That’ll be the case in July 2024 with the Polish adult animated historical movie The Peasants (Chłopi) set to arrive on Netflix in the US from July 11th, 2024.
First premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival late last year, the movie went on score distribution by Sony Pictures Classics in the United States plus got a theatrical release in Poland.
Directed by DK Welchman and Hugh Welchman, the movie uses a painted animation technique and adapts the Nobel Prize-winning novel by Władysław Reymont.
What can you expect from the film? Here’s the official synopsis for the title courtesy of Sony Pictures:
“The Peasants tells the story of Jagna, a young woman determined to forge her own path within the confines of a late 19th century Polish village – a hotbed of gossip and on-going feuds, held together, rich and poor, by pride in their land, adherence to colourful 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 movie is coming to Netflix in the United States courtesy of its distribution via Sony Pictures Classics. As you may know, Netflix struck a deal with Sony Pictures back in 2021 that has seen its entire theatrical slate (and some of its subsidiaries slate) to Netflix for 18-month periods.
Some of the other Sony Pictures Classic movies that have hit Netflix in the United States over the past few years include Shortcomings, The Miracle Club, Freud’s Last Session, and Living and The Son, to name but a few. Our complete guide shows the current list of Sony movies on Netflix from this deal, plus what’s coming up for the rest of 2024 and into 2025.
Is The Peasants worth your time? US-based critics were ultimately mixed on the movie, although many did enjoy it. Kaely Monahan for the Arizona Republic said, “One could teach a master class on this film, it is that rich. For anyone who loves art, literature, and film, “The Peasants” is a must-see.”
The movie wasn’t initially included in Netflix’s July 2024 preview, but we’ll soon add it to our comprehensive list of new movies, series, and games coming up in the US throughout the month.
Picture: Sony Pictures Classics
Will you be checking out The Peasants when it drops on Netflix? Let us know in the comments down below.