AllMovie

The subtleties of this documentary are likely to be lost on those who don't speak Hungarian, but the broad outlines of the participants' dramatic stories will be clear to everyone. Shown only from the neck up, the Hungarian peasants in this story discuss their sufferings as political pawns for over two centuries, being moved about willy-nilly for political reasons. In the 18th century, they were forced to flee Hungary because of some dispute with the rulers of what was then an empire, and they settled in a part of Romania. They were persuaded to return to their original homes, long since occupied by others, sometime in the World War II period, and not only did they lose their Romanian homes, but they were anything but welcome back in Hungary. In addition, since they were settled near the Yugoslav border, the partisans of that country were also deeply suspicious of them. As a result, dozens of these simple people disappeared or lost their lives.