The Ox War

It's obvious that a cow is not an ox. But does that mean that cows aren't allowed on a particular piece of grazing land? That's at least what Someier, the administrator of Berchtesgaden Abbey, declares as he forbids farmer Runotter from letting his 17 cows graze there. This slight difference of opinion turns out to have grave consequences as a simple conflict escalates, both absurdly and frighteningly, to an outright war between farmers and the abbey. The bloody conflict in this adaptation of Ludwig Ganghofer's novel from 1914 paints a much different picture from the usual idyllic imagery of rural life in the 15th century. (Filmfest München)