Director Krisztina Goda struggles to keep a lid on the melodramatics here in what should have been a compelling and provocative account of the 1956 Hungarian uprising. Instead of reflecting the complexities of the insurrection that was so ruthlessly suppressed by the Soviet Union, the whirlwind romance between water polo star Ivan Fenyo and freedom fighter Kata Dobo feels like something out of a penny-dreadful. The couple periodically break from lovemaking either to extricate themselves from momentous political events or to engage in domestic disputes with his overprotective mother. The significance of the bloody showdown between the Hungarians and Soviets in the water polo semi-finals at the Melbourne Olympics is further diminished by the mawkish cross-cutting to events back in Hungary. It's a pity that such a fascinating subject should be dumbed down for international consumption.

During the ill-fated Hungarian revolution of 1956, Karcsi Szabo, star player on the water polo team, is torn between his love for a revolutionary student and his training for the Melbourne Olympics.