Having returned to the Pugliese town he had been forced to leave as an adolescent following a violent rebellion against his tyrant father, Luigi (Fabrizio Bentivoglio), now a mature professor of philosophy at the Milan university, becomes involved in the troubled atmosphere of a world he thought he had left behind forever.
Along with his brothers Michele (Emilio Solfrizzi), a mediocre businessman, and Mario (Paolo Briguglia), a student committed to volunteer work, Luigi tries in vain to convince his half-brother Aldo (Massimo Venturiello), who is a violent womaniser like his father, to sell a family farm that is in a state of semi-abandon.
Time has not healed bitterness and old wounds re-emerge, as the brothers, each in their own way, battle the entanglements that Tonino (Sergio Rubini), a sordid money-lender has wrapped around the whole town.
A compulsively watchable blend of comedy, and Southern film noir, THE LAND was nominated for several David di Donatello (Italian Academy) awards including Best Actor, Best Film, Best Cinematography, Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor.