The Eight Mountains
Across four decades and changing landscapes, two men struggle to preserve an extraordinary friendship while finding their own ways to live.
Overview
A breathtaking journey through the Italian Alps reveals the power of friendship and self-discovery over decades.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- contemplative
- melancholic
- intimate
- quiet evening
- reflective weekend
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film's patient, profound observation of an intimate lifelong friendship and its breathtaking mountain imagery, while noting that its expansive pace can feel ponderous.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Pietro and Bruno's relationship repeatedly returns to the Italian Alps, where childhood experiences and later building a house shape their inner lives.
The film observes Pietro and Bruno's relationship over more than forty years, from childhood into adulthood.
Bruno remains connected to mountain life while Pietro repeatedly leaves, travels, and searches for direction.
The central dramatic subject is the deep, difficult bond between Pietro and Bruno across changing stages of life.
Films like The Eight Mountains, and why
The Return
shared patient pacing, lifelong male friendship, rural landscapes, and reflective coming-of-age drama
Old Joy
shared intimate friendship drama, expansive natural settings, and melancholic self-discovery
Mountain Patrol
shared emotionally restrained character study, mountain environment, and profound treatment of family and belonging
The Tree of Wooden Clogs
shared contemplative friendship narrative, multidecade emotional development, and landscape-centered visual storytelling
Movie Details
- Directors
- Felix van Groeningen, Charlotte Vandermeersch
- Release Date
- 2022-12-21
- Runtime
- 147 min
- Rating
- 7.6 / 10 (872)
Cast
- Luca Marinelli
- Alessandro Borghi
- Lupo Barbiero
- Cristiano Sassella
- Elisabetta Mazzullo
- Andrea Palma
- Surakshya Panta
- Elena Lietti
- Filippo Timi
- Elisa Zanotto
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Criterion Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Eight Mountains about?
- Across four decades and changing landscapes, two men struggle to preserve an extraordinary friendship while finding their own ways to live.
- What is The Eight Mountains like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Eight Mountains as slow, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Eight Mountains violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in The Eight Mountains.
- What did critics think of The Eight Mountains?
- Critics broadly praised the film's patient, profound observation of an intimate lifelong friendship and its breathtaking mountain imagery, while noting that its expansive pace can feel ponderous.
- Which films are like The Eight Mountains?
- Films with a similar feel include The Return, Old Joy, Mountain Patrol, and The Tree of Wooden Clogs.
- How long is The Eight Mountains?
- The Eight Mountains runs 147 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Eight Mountains?
- In United States, The Eight Mountains streams on Criterion Channel.
