Károly Sinka

Intoarcerea Vlasinilor

In 18th century Hapsburg ruled Transilvania the Romanian shepherds from the village of Vlașini face the oppression and injustice of imperial authorities, being forced to flee from their place of birth or pay tribute to the Germans of Hermannstadt for grazing sheep on their own pastures.

In 1950, when a young communist director arrives to take charge of a stud farm, his efforts to draw on the experience of the old hands there meet with little success. Indeed, so outraged are they at the changeover to communism that they harass him at every turn, especially after he treats a local barmaid as if she were a whore of some kind. After administering a beating to him, the old hands are nonetheless incensed when he calls on the police. The director doesn't get enough help, however, because the stable hands stab him before running off for the border.