AllMovie

In this comedy-drama about human foibles, the aftermath of war undoubtedly has something to do with the behavior and feelings of the people living in a small Hungarian village. The lives of the villagers are seen through the eyes of David (Laszlo Mate), an orphaned Jewish boy who has come to settle here. Dukay (Istvan Bujtor) is the official who handles remnants of live ammunition and weapons left over from the war -- a danger that is brought home later when some innocent children begin playing with an unexploded shell. Other characters include Mr. Fodo (Jean-Louis Trintignant), an ill-tempered schoolteacher whose wife leaves him; Lajos Acsi (Jean Rochefort) a friend who once owned land in the region and now just wanders aimlessly; Peter Fekete (Miklos B. Szekely) and his wife, the owners of the two black buffalos; and a particularly vicious cemetery caretaker. One of the casualties in this story is the script, which provides a wealth of characters and details but not much to cogently tie them together.