This film captures another world, and makes you a part of it. The acting is superb, the scenery breathtaking, and a huge amount of skill and effort has gone into evoking the heat of summer and the details of village life in a harsh, pre-industrial world. If you cannot stand watching a film in a foreign language, or you only watch films with special effects and non-stop action,then you may find something to object to in this one, but otherwise it is perfection. The story is heart-wrenching, all the characters (both good and bad) demand sympathy, and the story is both credible, and beautifully told. That is the true quality of this film - it tells a simple, gripping story in a way that grips any viewer with a heart from start to finish.