Sergio Rubini
La terra

We won't elaborate on the plot, as it's already well-known: the mature Luigi (Fabrizio Bentivoglio) descends into his ancestral Apulia to spend a few days with his two brothers; what ensues are impressive squabbles and unresolved issues, decades old, among them, and with a fourth brother, and between them and the family inheritances, "inheritances" in every sense, not just material... Everything revolves around the marvelous family estate and the usury problems of one of the protagonists. Initially, Luigi will take a liking to mediating, only to discover that he is very much a part of that world, much more than he thought.

What remains of the film, in its compactness, is primarily the real, narrative, and symbolic evidence of relationships and the opportunity one has to turn things around, to shuffle the deck even in the presence of a festering past, and that, therefore, one fails to let go; perhaps precisely because it was never discussed.

It seems obvious, at first, that the only one wanting to bring some clarity, to use some detachment in the tangle of resentments and interests, is indeed Luigi, the only one who left years and years ago, sent away to a boarding school in the North due to his rebellious act against his father's domestic violence and the betrayal (from which his illegitimate brother Aldo was born), and now the only one using a language other than that of selfishness and violence, the only one his father knew how to use. In fact, even Mario, the youngest and seemingly the most humane of all, to reopen the dead-end where Aldo and Michele find themselves with the moneylender Tonino, ultimately knows no better than to shoot him with their father's old rifle: "The first thing dad taught me"...

Then it becomes clear that the sunny squares and courtyards are the site of a constant and varied settling of scores in the distorted network of relationships among the brothers, and between them and reality, fully represented by the sordid world of the moneylender, the handicapped, Tania (the foreign lover of Tonino and Aldo), Angela, and especially the enormous estate with all the (potentially) profitable land around it, which soon becomes apparent as the main legacy of the parents to the brothers, and especially the center of the film; from this Terra indeed comes the title, and in my opinion, very aptly: for the Di Santo brothers, it only appears to be about finding the best way to divide it or profit from it; in truth, the knots will be resolved only by freeing themselves of it, since the intertwining of interests revolving around it represents the logic of division among brothers that the father taught them, thus leaving it as an inheritance. Freeing themselves from it will only appear to be a loss, because it will mean liberating themselves from the toxic ties not so much between themselves, but with a divisive father.

Therefore, Luigi's detachment doesn't last long: even though his partner Laura, having reached him from Milan a few days later, doesn't understand why he must help them when they never considered him, he increasingly feels a part of it: it's no longer a detached and practical involvement, it is the involvement of someone who is a part of the family and at the same time knows he must try to reunite it; indeed, perhaps precisely because his brothers are so passionate, there is no real mutual hatred, but just immaturity in not knowing how to face situations: impulsiveness is what Luigi repeatedly rebukes Michele for, while Mario excuses him and Aldo, asserting that they simply "Use too much heart, and not enough brain." In short, Luigi realizes that piecing together the terrible puzzle he's entangled in is an opportunity to finally create unity among his brothers. Therefore, it's irrelevant that they never considered him: the interest, the yearning to finally have a family of origin is also his, exactly on par with the other three.

For this reason, during the film, the attempts to return to childhood, that is, to draw on a common past, are frustrated attempts: the "church of Rome" that Luigi builds but Mario initially disdains, the report card that Michele goes to retrieve when they visit the school... only when freed from the weight of the inheritance can they become light again, and it's perfect not only the final meal, all together at the estate for the first time in their lives, but especially (kudos to the screenwriters for the idea) the game that the now reunited four brothers spontaneously start playing, this time truly returned to childhood: what game is it? It's about hitting the bell that towers over the estate with stones: indeed, a game for children finally carefree because finally reunited, after decades, even if its sound indicates that now the snack time is really over, and from today, having left mom and dad, they must grow up for real.