What happens to relationships when people are forced to live practically “on top of one another” in overcrowded Budapest is a favorite topic in Hungarian cinema. But in Light Physical Injuries György Szomjas gives the theme a new twist, at once taking the idea a bit more literally than other films have done and at the same time, clearly using it as a vehicle for an intense and sardonic character study. Csaba is a young man with a quick temper and a stubborn unwillingness to turn the other cheek. When he lands in jail following a knife fight, his wife Eva takes a lover, Miklos, who moves into their flat. Upon Csaba's release, the three decide to live together in a kind of ménage-a-trois despite the intense hatred between the two men and Eva's decided preference for Miklos. When the situation becomes unbearable, as it rapidly does, Miklos and Eva devise a system of harassment in hopes of driving the confused and violent Csaba back to prison. Meanwhile, the ridiculous goings-on in their flat-turned-battleground are observed, commented on, and evaluated in detail by their neighbors, friends, and in-laws--which does not help them a bit, but provides the film with a healthy measure of cynical humor.