I think it’s safe to say that there are not many people out there who’ve been able to experience a lifelong friendship. Yes, everyone has friends. Friendships can last for a few months, a few years, or even a few decades. But it is quite rare that we see a friendship that develops in childhood and lives on well into adulthood. Because whether it be diverging interests, someone moving away, or for any other reason, friendships can be and are temporary a lot of the time. But then there are other friendships. A bond between two people that seems almost cosmic or spiritual. No matter how far apart the friends may get, the universe seems to always seems to somehow pull them back together. Felix van Groeningen and Charlottle Vandermeersch’s latest film, The Eight Mountains, based on the novel by Paolo Cognetti and starring Italian actors Luca Marinelli and Alessandro Borghi beautifully explores this profound phenomenon.

Pietro and Bruno (the young versions played by Lupo Barbiero and Cristiano Sassella, respectively) meet in a small little village in the Italian Alps called Grana. Pietro and his family are just vacationing there, but Bruno lives there and is the only child left in the village. The two become fast friends – best friends, even - despite being pretty different from each other. The two play, Pietro watches Bruno work and farm, and they even join Pietro’s father, Giovanni (Filippo Timi) on a rather treacherous hike on the snowy mountains. Bruno becomes so close with the family that Pietro’s parents even offer to take him back to their town so he can have a formal education. Pietro, for some complicated reasons, doesn’t seem too pleased with this and neither does Bruno’s father, who suddenly takes Bruno away to work with him and Pietro doesn’t see Bruno again for some time.

The story of Pietro and Bruno is something that is rarely seen in cinema. The relationship between them is filled with a deep, emotional richness that explores all of the complex emotions of human connection. And as the story flows on with wonderfully seamless transitions through time, their relationship becomes nothing short of complex. As adolescents, (Andrea Palma as teenage Pietro and Francesco Palombelli as teenage Bruno) they barely know how to acknowledge each other. But, as adults, the two reconnect over tragedy. Upon receiving the news that his father has died, Pietro (Marinelli), after many years, returns to Grana and reunites with his estranged friend. Both grown, both bearded, and both grieving in their own ways, their differences couldn’t be more apparent. Bruno (Borghi) - a strong, hard-working, calm, and pure-hearted mountain man. And Pietro – educated, passionate, charismatic but ultimately aimless man who doesn’t seem too serious about becoming a writer. Despite the two very different men they’ve become, they start to reforge their relationship anyway.

It is learned that in Pietro’s absence, Bruno had become very close with Pietro’s father in a way that Pietro never could have been. Pietro was never able to become in tune with the mountains the way Bruno so naturally is. But coming back to Grana changes all that. Bruno pushes Pietro to help Bruno fulfill a promise Bruno had made to Giovanni: to build a small house in the Alps. Through this task, the two create their unique bond grounded by the house. And subsequently, the two grow individually but always returning to each other almost every year to keep their friendship alive, despite what difficulties may come.

We’ve seen stories about friendship on screen before, yes, but I find it to be rare to see this type of male friendship portrayed with such profound intimacy and sensitivity. And the film goes even beyond that because it isn’t just a beautiful portrait of friendship and unconditional love, but it’s also speaks to the larger theme of connection – how we connect with the people around us, how we connect to our environment, how we connect to the world at large, and how all of these connections are unique to each and everyone of us.

And I would be remiss not to mention how great both Marinelli and Borghi were in their respective roles. Both gave wonderfully understated performances that were just perfect for such an emotional and personal picture, especially in Borghi’s case really honing in on Bruno’s simplicity and purity that just makes you love him.

Everything that Felix van Groeningen and Charlottle Vandermeersch do with The Eight Mountains, from the writing to utilizing the old Academy aspect ratio to capture the mountainous landscape of the Italian Alps with a beautiful verticality while also exploiting the personal and contained feeling of the framing to keep the story feeling as intimate as possible, is deeply felt, and extremely moving. Yes, yes, yes, some may say the film is too long, but that wasn’t something that bothers me much providing how rich the film is in its story, visuals, and performances. Watching two friends give each other so much with unconditional love, despite how they both end up, is something so pure and beautiful and overall, a great pleasure to witness on film.

The Eight Mountains is now available on Blu Ray courtesy of the Criterion Collection as part of their Janus Contemporaries line.

Home Video Distributor: Criterion
Available on Blu-ray - November 21, 2023
Screen Formats: 1.33:1
Subtitles: English
Audio: Italian 5.1 DTS-HD MA Surround
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; single disc
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

An epic journey of friendship and self-discovery set in the Italian Alps, The Eight Mountains is a cinematic experience as intimate as it is monumental. Adapting an award-winning novel by Paolo Cognetti, Felix van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch portray, through observant detail and stunning landscape photography, the profound relationship between Pietro (Luca Marinelli) and Bruno (Alessandro Borghi), who first meet as children in an Alpine village. Years later, the estranged friends reunite, after the passing of Pietro’s father (Filippo Timi), in order to realize his dream of rebuilding a ruined cabin on a mountain slope. This emotional project, and their subsequent explorations of the mountains, create a strong bond between the two—yet individual dreams, and the demands of society, ultimately drive them to pursue irrevocably divergent paths.

Video

Presented in the 1.33:1 aspect ratio, the 1080p transfer of the film is pretty immaculate from what I can tell. The clarity and color grading show off cinematographer Ruben Impens’ stunning photography very well. You stay in awe of the way the landscapes and exteriors were captured throughout the picture. The shadows were able to have a lot of depth and darkness without ever sacrificing the clarity of the picture, which was wonderfully surprising to see. It’s, overall, a beautiful transfer.

Audio

The 5.1 surround soundtrack also poses no issues in any department. From the Italian dialogue to the score and other sound effects, everything comes in crisp and clear and sounded to be mixed well. No complaints here.

Supplements:

There’s no commentary provided on this release, but with the interviews with the filmmakers and the cast and the short documentary, you get your fill of behind-the-scenes footage and analysis of the film that is very neat to watch and listen to.

Commentary:

• None

Special Features:

• Meet the Filmmakers, a new interview with directors Charlotte Vandermeersch and Felix van Groeningen
• The Making of “The Eight Mountains, a new documentary featuring cast and crew
• Trailer

	Movie
	Video
	Audio
	Extras
Composite Blu-ray Grade

MPAA Rating: Unrated.
Runtime: 147 mins
Director: Felix van Groeningen; Charlotte Vandermeersch
Writer: Paolo Cognetti; Charlotte Vandermeersch; Felix van Groeningen
Cast: Lupo Barbiero; Cristiano Sassella; Elena Lietti
Genre: Drama
Tagline:
Memorable Movie Quote: "Did the one who went around the eight mountains, or who reached the top of Mount Sumeru, learn more?"
Theatrical Distributor:
Official Site: https://www.criterion.com/films/33541-the-eight-mountains
Release Date:
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: November 21, 20223
Synopsis: An epic journey of friendship and self-discovery set in the Italian Alps, The Eight Mountains is a cinematic experience as intimate as it is monumental. Adapting an award-winning novel by Paolo Cognetti, Felix van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch portray, through observant detail and stunning landscape photography, the profound relationship between Pietro (Luca Marinelli) and Bruno (Alessandro Borghi), who first meet as children in an Alpine village. Years later, the estranged friends reunite, after the passing of Pietro’s father (Filippo Timi), in order to realize his dream of rebuilding a ruined cabin on a mountain slope. This emotional project, and their subsequent explorations of the mountains, create a strong bond between the two—yet individual dreams, and the demands of society, ultimately drive them to pursue irrevocably divergent paths.