The Village captures you with it's imagery, but holds you with the characters and superb acting. It's sometimes hard to watch as the grim reality of early 20th century rural English life is relentless.
The BBC should be praised for not giving it a coat of historical whitewash and trying to depict life in the period with with both the warts and the beauty. Ultimately it is the characters that you become invested in. Not the stock portrayals of the noble working class or morally vacuous upper class. The main characters have layers and depth that makes them both interesting and empathetic. They are brought to life by terrific performances and you believe them completely.
Overall this is superbly done.
