Oldrich is the runt of his village, beaten by his father, bullied by the other boys. But he has imagination on his side, and a wiry toughness they can’t defeat. The village is in turmoil, because the Nazi occupiers have just retreated and the Red Army is advancing. Oldrich dodges amid the mayhem and panic, taking his share of blows but always managing to stay one step ahead. Beautifully shot and darkly ironic, Karel Kachyna’s forgotten masterpiece jumbles reality, memory and fantasy to capture the intensity and confusion of childhood in a war zone.

Zdeněk Lstibůrek
as Oldřich Vařeka zvaný Pinďa

Naděžda Gajerová
as Oldřichova matka

Vlado Müller
as Oldřichův otec

Gustáv Valach
as pacholek

Yuriy Nazarov
as sovětský důstojník

Iva Janžurová
as Bertýna Petrželová

Jindra Rathová
as

Jaroslava Vysloužilová
as

Eduard Bredun
as

Jiří Chmelař
as