The film centers on heteronormative biological impulses and carnal desire. It avoids explicit queer narratives and derogatory tropes, focusing instead on the primal, physical interactions of its characters.

Women are depicted with significant agency and power. By centering female lust and volatility, the film subverts the trope of the submissive woman, presenting them as active participants in social dynamics.

The film utilizes non-professional actors to achieve a gritty, peasant aesthetic. This approach provides a diverse range of physicalities that challenge the polished, homogeneous casting of traditional Western period pieces.

Pasolini critiques religious and feudal authorities by framing them as hypocritical. The narrative embraces moral relativism, presenting the transgressive behaviors of the peasantry through a naturalistic, non-judgmental lens.

There is no significant evidence of characters utilizing disability as a central plot device or being subjected to mockery.