The Eight Mountains

The Eight Mountains flew somewhat under the radar on release, but it’s a film I cannot recommend enough. It’s the story of the decades-spanning friendship between Pietro (Luca Marinelli), a boy from the city of Turin, and Bruno (Alessandro Borghi), the only child in a small mountain village in the Italian Alps with a dwindling population. The two meet as children, when Pietro’s family visits Bruno’s village on holiday, and the film follows them as they transition into adolescence, and then adulthood. Over the years, their paths diverge – Bruno wants to revitalise his uncle’s farm, Pietro to travel – but they always find themselves drawn back to the mountains, and to each other. It’s one of the most beautifully told friendships I’ve ever seen in film (it certainly doesn’t hurt that the two lead actors are friends in real life) and well worth seeing on the big screen for the visuals alone; the film is full of long shots of nature that draw you into the environment and make it feel almost meditative. This is a film to get lost in, and is certain to stay with you long after the credits roll.

Cerys Bardsley