'The World to Come' explores frontier life and an affair in the 1850s

New movie "The World to Come" transports audiences back to the 1850s. Set on a farm in upstate New York, things start to get complicated when new neighbors move in next door.

The drama follows Abigail (Katherine Waterston), a farmer's wife on the East Coast frontier, who ignites a forbidden romance with her new neighbor, Tallie (Vanessa Kirby).

"It was actually such a pleasure to play Tallie because she's actually, she was so hopeful," Kirby said. "She was bigger than the room that she was in."

Waterston said that after living in a pandemic for a year, people will relate to the isolation portrayed in this time period.

"I don't think hungry, curious human beings cope with that very well," Waterston said. "And here in our story, you see two who are suffering because they long for a more expansive and interesting life."

Kirby and Waterston's characters find solace in each other, building an intense relationship -- which earned the movie a Queer Lion award for best LGBTQ-themed film at Venice International Film Festival.

"I love making period movies. It feels like time travel," Casey Affleck, who plays Abigail's husband and also produced the film, said.

"It's a bit like wearing a mask. It takes you out of yourself and the normal surroundings in a way that frees you up to be somebody different," Affleck added.

To depict the harsh winter, director Mona Fastvold said she needed to use a little movie magic.

"I could have done with a little more snow actually than what we got," Fastvold said. "I had one day of shooting of snow on the ground and everywhere. And after that, we had to supplement quite a bit."

"The World To Come" is rated "R" is now available now on demand.