Film: The Eight Mountains [Le otto montagne] (147 min.)

DANTE ALIGHIERI SANTA CRUZ Winter 2024 FILM Series:

Majestic Landscapes and impetuous Passion

With the patronage of the Italian Cultural Institute of San Francisco

Our films this winter are recent releases showcasing Italy’s breathtaking natural landscapes, from the Alps to the majestic marble quarries of Carrara to Sicily’s beaches. These settings serve both as inspiration and challenge for the protagonists, each embarking on a journey of self-discovery.

The First Film in the Series is: The Eight Mountains [Le otto montagne]. Dirs. Felix Van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch. 2022 (147 min).

Trailer

An epic journey of friendship and self-discovery, The Eight Mountains is a landmark cinematic experience as intimate as it is monumental, as deep as it is expansive. Adapting the award-winning novel by Paolo Cognetti, directors Felix van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch portray through observant detail and stunning landscape photography the profound, complex relationship between Pietro and Bruno, who first meet as children when Pietro’s Milan family vacations in an isolated village at the base of the Alpine slopes. As they mature, Pietro becomes estranged from his business-minded father even as Bruno—emotionally abandoned by his own father—takes up the role of surrogate son. After many years, Pietro and Bruno reunite to realize the dream of constructing a cabin on the Alps, and the project and subsequent explorations of the awe-inspiring mountain range bond the pair in a shared purpose. Yet despite their connection, the purity of nature and the demands of society both threaten to drive the men to pursue different, possibly irrevocably divergent paths on the vertiginous terrain of life.

________________________________________________________________________________________

All films in Italian with English subtitles.

Logan Walker, film lecturer from UCSC & Director of Programming, Santa Cruz Film Festival, will introduce and field questions about all films.

Street parking is free or you can pay for parking in the closest parking lot "L" near the Music and Theater buildings / pay at the kiosk machine.