A slow-paced portrayal of mundane, rural life, poverty, and human relations which, like real life itself, prompts us to ask, "What is the meaning of all this?" Human life in the 19th century with its hardships is juxtaposed with the slaughter and butchering of farm animals and with the religious devotion of the people. As we view the interconnected lives of these country folk, we are each allowed to adopt our own perspective on what we are witnessing rather than being manipulated to see through the eyes of any particular character. Throughout the film, we see how commitment, prayer, celebration, creativity, virtue and sometimes vice assist in coping with challenges, banality, and suffering. As we observe the eccentricity, superstition, and austerity of various peasants, we 21st-century city-dwellers must necessarily evaluate our own lives, often bereft of the simplicity, virtue, community, and faith characterizing the unsophisticated.

****This film contains actual footage of the slaughter and butchering of farm animals and may shock 21st-century city-dwellers and not be suitable for everyone.**** ( )