‘Le otto montagne’ (‘The eight mountains’) is an adaptation of Paolo Cognetti’s bestseller of the same name. In addition to directing, van Groeningen and Vandermeersch also wrote the screenplay. The film tells the story of Pietro and Bruno, a boy from the city and a boy from the mountains, who befriend when they are eleven, with a forgotten part of the Alps as their kingdom. Their lives stretch, they lose each other and find each other again. While Bruno stays true to his mountain, Pietro travels the world. A journey through loneliness and love, past origin and destination, beyond friendship, life and death.
The Italian cast includes Luca Marinelli (Martin Eden), Alessandro Borghi (Devils), Filippo Timi (Vincere) and Elena Lietti (Anna).