|
|
THE EIGHT MOUNTAINS
Directors: Felix van Groeningen, Charlotte Vandermeersch Cast: Luca Marinelli, Alessandro Borghi, Lupo Barbiero Cristiano Sassella, Elsabeth Mazzullo, Elena Lietti, Filippo Timi, Surakshya Panta, Andrea Palma MPAA
Rating: Running Time: 2:27 Release Date: 4/28/23 (limited); 5/5/23 (wider) |
|
Review by Mark Dujsik | April 27, 2023 A decades-long friendship, unhindered by time or distance or the many changes that life brings, is portrayed in The Eight Mountains. This is a slow, considered story that simply lets this bond evolve over time, and by the end of co-writers/co-directors Felix van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch's film, it forces us to confront some deeper questions about the quality and fulfillment of two lives lived in very different ways. Those two friends are Pietro (Luca Marinelli) and Bruno (Alessandro Borghi), who will eventually reunite as adults after a long span of time apart from each other. Before that, though, they meet as a children, when a young Pietro (Lupo Barbiero) begins spending summers with his father Giovanni (Filippo Timi) and mother Francesca (Elena Lietti) at a house in a small village near the Italian Alps. The boy and a young Bruno (Cristiano Sassella) meet and become fast friends, being the only two kids in the area, but as Pietro's relationship with his father becomes more and more strained, he spends less and then no time in the mountains. When Giovanni dies, Pietro returns to the village, learning that his father purchased a remote piece of land, where he hoped to build a house away from the rest of the world. Bruno, who came to see Giovanni as a surrogate father over the years of Pietro's absence, promised to build it, and he has grown into a man who believes death does not negate such a vow. It's impressive how much these characters grow on us, despite how little there is in way of plot in this screenplay, adapted from Paolo Cognetti's novel. That absence of any real plotting, beyond watching the course of these ordinary but uncertain lives, or conflict, because these two men are so quick to forgive or forget or not even care much about anything that might come between them, is a major reason why the two are believable, relatable, and sympathetic. The guys just want to find some contentment in life, with former city boy Pietro learning how much his late father loved exploring nature and taking up that mantle in an even more significant way, while Bruno settles down in the mountains where he has always lived to make a business and a family. They continue to meet, talk, catch up, and check in every year or so in the mountains, when Pietro returns for some rest after another adventure. Eventually, their conversations begin to openly ponder which, if either, of their lives is on the right track to being a good one. In addition to giving us a solid sense of these characters, van Groeningen and Vandermeersch's relaxed approach to storytelling allows us feel that passage of time, to hear and see the echoes of the past as they affect the present, and ponder along with these men about some mysterious "correct" way to live. The Eight Mountains is contemplative, subtly rich experience. Copyright © 2023 by Mark Dujsik. All rights reserved. |
Buy Related Products
|
