Pietro (Lupo Barbiero) became good friends with Bruno (Cristiano Sassella) when his mother (Elena Lietti) took him on vacation to the French Alps back in 1984 during his childhood. They have remained friends since then. During their adulthood, Pietro (now played by Luca Marinelli) and Bruno (now played by Alessandro Borghi), reunite on the mountains while building a cottage together.

      The screenplay by co-writers/directors Felix Van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch as well as co-writer Paolo Cognetti follows Pietro and Bruno for four decades from their childhood all the way up to their adulthood when they reunite on the mountains where they first met. The Eight Mountains doesn't have a lot of dialogue nor does it have anything profound to say about friendship other than that it can last throughout the years. Pietro and Bruno begin as strangers to the audience and remain that way for the part because the screenplay doesn't do an adequate job of creating a window into their heart, mind and soul to understand what they're thinking and feeling as human beings. There's no voice-over narration and very little exposition. Not surprisingly Pietro and Bruno lead different kinds of lives as they grow older. They also have different lifestyles in their childhood: Pietro lives in the city while Bruno lives in the mountains. Despite their differences, they found a way for their friendship to persevere through their love of the mountains. Where does Pietro's love of the mountains come from, though, since he didn't grow up there like Bruno did? Or is it merely a subconscious longing/yearning for his best friend, Bruno? The filmmakers leave too much to interpretation and to the audience's imagination, so the film demands a lot from the audience which is often frustrating. Many scenes lack tension and emotional resonance, thereby leaving very little to hook the audience. Everything remains understated and nuanced, but it all feels undercooked because too much remains unsaid and underdeveloped. Some filmmakers can make the most out of "slices of life" while focusing on the mundane elements with a minimalist plot. Terrence Malick is an example of such a filmmaker, and Júlia Murat, the writer/director of Found Memories, also excels at that. Unfortunately, co-directors Felix Van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch don't accomplish that feat in The Eight Mountains, but at least they can say that they tried.

      The performances are decent, but they're undermined by the cold and shallow screenplay that doesn't give the actors enough to showcase their talent. The most radiant performance isn't a human one: it's the landscape which provides some stunning shots and visual poetry simultaneously. The pace moves very, very slowly and even sluggish at times, so this is the kind of movie that very patient audiences will appreciate the most. The filmmakers trust the audience's patience a lot, and they also grasp the power of silence, but what they don't grasp is the concept that less is more. Too many scenes feel repetitive and overstay their welcome. At a running time of 2 hours and 27 minutes, The Eight Mountains is poetic with breathtaking scenery, but overlong, undercooked and emotionally cold.