Adapted from Paolo Cognetti’s acclaimed novel, this Cannes jury prize-winning film is an epic exploration of the lifelong friendship of two very different men against the backdrop of a remote valley in Italy. Their different choices lead them to question what they want in life as they inspire each other. Theirs is a friendship based on mutual respect and in which there is no place for competition. It is very tender, strong and fragile at the same time. Viewers feel the pain when they separate and the pure happiness when they meet again. There is nothing but love between these two men. They don’t always have the words to tell the other about themselves, but there is a great understanding without saying anything. Working for the first time in Italian, Belgian directors Felix van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch triumph with this film about a disappearing world. Winner, Jury Prize, Cannes Film Festival. –Alissa Simon
Director Biography
Felix van Groeningen is a filmmaker who was born and raised in Belgium. He is the director of The Broken Circle Breakdown (2012) which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Feature, among others.
Charlotte Vandermeersch was born in Oudenaarde, Belgium and is an accomplished actress and writer who appeared in the Oscar-nominated The Broken Circle Breakdown (2012), to which she also worked on the script. The Eight Mountains (2022) is her directorial debut.