A rural Egyptian village unsuccessfully attempts to retain access to its water. Told that they can only irrigate their land a few days a month, several of the villagers are arrested for overwatering. Although the outside threat originally seems to unite the villagers, divisions resurface.

Though set in 1930s Egypt, Youssef Chahine’s groundbreaking rural epic reflects the crisis of national identity following the country’s 1967 military defeat. Bucking against authoritative powers, the peasants’ attachment to the land is viscerally and bodily realized—full of blood, sweat, and tears.