With Agrarian Utopia director Uruphong Raksasad has managed to create both a love song for the pastoral idyll of his childhood and a strong political message about the current gulf between Thailand's city elite and the rural poor. Naturally, after the events of this year, it’s a message that is more relevant than ever, which might make uncomfortable viewing for some.

Shot lately in an ultra-real documentary style, it tells the story of two rice farming families forced to move from their own land due to debts and begin working for a city-dwelling landlord in return for a split of the profits. The action then shifts to the farm, where the camera relentlessly follows them in their back-breaking work of growing rice. And it’s in this depiction of the rice growing season that the film works best. Beautifully shot, the land, the elements and the rice are the central driving force of the narrative, though there are some incredibly touching human moments, especially those involving the family’s children, that make the viewer wish for a more simple life connected to nature.

Nevertheless, behind the idyllic existence is always the backdrop of looming malevolence in the imposing sky and a feeling that this life is simply too good to be true. Under the changes of the weather, the political, economic and social climate, the farmers seem insignificant and helpless to influence their destiny, their only hopes of escape being through their children and the lottery. This resignation to their fate is captured in the actors’ stoic, almost silent, performances, which in their understated humanity allow you to forget at times that this isn’t a documentary.

Of course, the film has flaws, some of the messages Uruphong tries to convey can sometimes seem a little heavy-handed. While it’s mostly a joy to watch there are times when the director becomes a little over indulgent with his tricks and techniques. Finally, at over two hours the slow pace that perfectly matches rural life might be a struggle for those with short attention spans. But it would be their loss as Agrarian Utopia’s striking visual appeal and the important message it contains mean it’s more than worth the effort.