The horrors of war are examined from the view points of lifelong friends (Linus Roache, Vincent Perez), who end up on opposing sides in the civil war in Sarajevo. One is an expert marksman, who trains the snipers used to terrify the city and the other becomes a freedom fighter, who rejects his friend's offer to gain an escape from the city. As might be expected, the two eventually have to face-off against one another.

Shot Through the Heart

The film is the filmed version of Pál Závada's novel of the same title, which was first published in 1997 and soon became a bestseller. The story takes place during World War I and afterwards in a small town in south-eastern Hungary. It tells about the unhappy marriage between a young man, Ondris, who is a member of the Slovak minority of the town, and his wife Jadviga. She can't return his devotion towards her and starts a love affair with Franci, a lawyer. The film tells the history of this unhappy relationship between a passionate country man and his equally passionate, but much more erudite wife who wants something more from life but can't get it. There is also some historic background: the breakup of the Hapsburg monarchy, the independence movement of the Hungarian Slovaks, led in the story by a ridiculous priest, etc. But this only remains the backdrop for the story of an unhappy "ménage à trois".