May 18, 2023
FILM: THE EIGHT MOUNTAINS
DIRECTED BY: FELIX VAN GROENINGEN, CHARLOTTE VANDERMEERSCH
STARRING: LUCA MARINELLI, ALLESSANDRO BORGHI, LUPO BARBIERO
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
The Eight Mountains won a Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival last year. Directed by married Belgian filmmaking couple Felix van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch it’s setting is the very beautiful mountains of Brusson, Valle d’Aosta, Italy. The story centers on the 30-year friendship of Pietro and Bruno who meet when they are 12 years old in 1984. Pietro and his parents have arrived in the town of Grana for the summer. Bruno is a local boy who knows everything about the area. The two of them spend their time wrestling and hiking. Pietro’s father is delighted at the connection they’ve made and takes them on journeys up to one of the neighboring mountains. It becomes clear early on, that Bruno is the more skilled and physically able of the two and defines himself, in part, on the rugged nature of this region. Pietro is much more cerebral, a bit of a follower, and an aspiring writer.
Time passes and the boys become separated for a number of years. Bruno has become further entrenched in mountain life while Pietro flounders in Turin and other locations trying to find out who he is and where his life should go. Pietro also experiences a break with his father leading to a developing bond between the father and Bruno. The film then explores the nature, fragility, and perseverance of friendships and family relations. Both boys seem to have been raised and taught by two “fathers” suggesting that a father figure can be anyone who guides people to grow in a particular direction. Through it all though the friendship has various ups and downs but the bond between Pietro and Bruno grows even deeper as time goes on.
The Eight Mountains is a very beautiful film to watch from start to finish. Scenes were shot in actual locations and feature some pretty rough terrain for the filmmakers. Often the camera follows both characters up steep hikes, rocky boulders, and several feet of snow. The beauty of nature is on full display across more than one season. These scenes stand in contrast to Pietro’s life in Turin, which is much more crowded, fast paced, and noisy. It’s easy to see why the boys-turned-men decide to build a house in the more mountainous region. (This was Pietro’s father’s dream.)
For much of the film there is not a lot of conflict between the men. In fact, they tend not to talk much and spend a great deal of their time “doing.” It is not until later in the film that the connection between the two is verbally expressed in a strong and emotional scene. Thankfully, the actors playing the characters at each of the intervals throughout the film are well equipped to handle the various physical and emotional challenges of the roles.
At times, some of the conflicts that do appear, in particular between Pietro and his father, feel a bit forced and brief. They seem to be devices in an otherwise meditative exploration of family and friendships. Still, none of this affects the epic quality of the setting and its own challenges. By the end we are as affected by that as we are of the long-standing friendship of Pietro and Bruno. One has chosen to spend his life on top of a mountain while the other has traveled the world and its “eight mountains.” Is one way of living better than the other? The film doesn’t judge but does reflect on the yin and yang of both perspectives and how they really do need each other to survive.
The Eight Mountains opens this week at the Gene Siskel Center in Chicago.
FILM: THE EIGHT MOUNTAINS
DIRECTED BY: FELIX VAN GROENINGEN, CHARLOTTE VANDERMEERSCH
STARRING: LUCA MARINELLI, ALLESSANDRO BORGHI, LUPO BARBIERO
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
The Eight Mountains won a Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival last year. Directed by married Belgian filmmaking couple Felix van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch it’s setting is the very beautiful mountains of Brusson, Valle d’Aosta, Italy. The story centers on the 30-year friendship of Pietro and Bruno who meet when they are 12 years old in 1984. Pietro and his parents have arrived in the town of Grana for the summer. Bruno is a local boy who knows everything about the area. The two of them spend their time wrestling and hiking. Pietro’s father is delighted at the connection they’ve made and takes them on journeys up to one of the neighboring mountains. It becomes clear early on, that Bruno is the more skilled and physically able of the two and defines himself, in part, on the rugged nature of this region. Pietro is much more cerebral, a bit of a follower, and an aspiring writer.
Time passes and the boys become separated for a number of years. Bruno has become further entrenched in mountain life while Pietro flounders in Turin and other locations trying to find out who he is and where his life should go. Pietro also experiences a break with his father leading to a developing bond between the father and Bruno. The film then explores the nature, fragility, and perseverance of friendships and family relations. Both boys seem to have been raised and taught by two “fathers” suggesting that a father figure can be anyone who guides people to grow in a particular direction. Through it all though the friendship has various ups and downs but the bond between Pietro and Bruno grows even deeper as time goes on.
The Eight Mountains is a very beautiful film to watch from start to finish. Scenes were shot in actual locations and feature some pretty rough terrain for the filmmakers. Often the camera follows both characters up steep hikes, rocky boulders, and several feet of snow. The beauty of nature is on full display across more than one season. These scenes stand in contrast to Pietro’s life in Turin, which is much more crowded, fast paced, and noisy. It’s easy to see why the boys-turned-men decide to build a house in the more mountainous region. (This was Pietro’s father’s dream.)
For much of the film there is not a lot of conflict between the men. In fact, they tend not to talk much and spend a great deal of their time “doing.” It is not until later in the film that the connection between the two is verbally expressed in a strong and emotional scene. Thankfully, the actors playing the characters at each of the intervals throughout the film are well equipped to handle the various physical and emotional challenges of the roles.
At times, some of the conflicts that do appear, in particular between Pietro and his father, feel a bit forced and brief. They seem to be devices in an otherwise meditative exploration of family and friendships. Still, none of this affects the epic quality of the setting and its own challenges. By the end we are as affected by that as we are of the long-standing friendship of Pietro and Bruno. One has chosen to spend his life on top of a mountain while the other has traveled the world and its “eight mountains.” Is one way of living better than the other? The film doesn’t judge but does reflect on the yin and yang of both perspectives and how they really do need each other to survive.
The Eight Mountains opens this week at the Gene Siskel Center in Chicago.