The film heavily emphasizes its depiction of a same-sex relationship in the mid-19th century, sometimes sidelining historical realism and period-appropriate behavior for modern symbolic resonance. The focus on identity themes can feel more foregrounded than the development of other narrative threads, potentially distracting from deeper character work or authentic drama.

Traditional views of marriage, family, and gender are largely portrayed as oppressive or stifling, and religion is notably absent, even though faith would have been central in this setting. The cultural revisionism is front and center as historical dynamics are rewritten through a thoroughly modern lens.

Alternative worldviews, especially traditional or religious perspectives, are depicted mainly as barriers or sources of misery. There is little exploration or nuance given to such views outside their negative function within the central romance.