"One of those rare works in which the perfect rendering of simple elements produces a small, unforgettable masterpiece. The film's two main characters are boys poised between childhood and manhood. Both are poor. The boy through whose eyes we experience the drama has lost his father in the war and seems to have only the bleakest of prospects, until a relative finds him a choice apprentice's position in a print shop. But there is a catch; another boy coveting the spot has also been taken on, with the better of the two getting the permanent job after a trial period. Thus begins a fierce if somewhat covert rivalry that results in workplace sabotage, fighting and then, very surprisingly, friendship" (Godfrey Cheshire, Film Comment).