20/03/2025 - Julio Medem once again shows that he does not fear ridicule, in a poetic and impassioned love story that spans decades, set against the backdrop of a Spain characterised by its blood feuds

Julio Medem is such a special, daring and unique filmmaker that he has become a kind of cinematic genre in himself: poetic and metaphorical to the point of exhaustion, capable of combining in his films the most sublime, melancholic and sensitive with the most ridiculous, pedantic and embarrassing. His new feature film, entitled 8 [+see also:
trailer
film profile], which was presented out of competition at the 28th Malaga Film Festival and is being released in Spanish cinemas on Friday 21 October, distributed by VerCine, demonstrates this once again.

A cast of dedicated actors, featuring Javier Rey and Ana Rujas, bring the protagonists to life, from the time they become adults until they turn 90. 8 intertwines the lives of Octavio and Adela, who are born on the same day a few kilometres apart, and for decades, their lives will cross in eight moments as they build a love story full of drama, with capricious fate playing its part.

Built around eight sequence shots (from 1931 to 2021) separated by fades/transitions accompanied by the sound of the clicking heels of dancer Sara Baras and with a soundtrack by the esteemed Lucas Vidal, over a little more than two hours 8 unravels all the virtues and defects that the filmmaker from San Sebastián has sown in titles such as Vacas, Tierra, Lovers of the Arctic Circle, Chaotic Ana and Room in Rome [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Julio Medem
film profile], among others. With its exacerbated lyricism, people will either love or hate his new film, depending on whether the viewer is willing to embrace his extreme world.

It is impossible to remain impassive in the face of so many emotions poured into an elaborate plot that speaks, above all, of social polarisation - the kind that led Spain into a civil war last century and is dangerously recurring these days, even in sporting events - coexistence, love and forgiveness.

With a more controlled first hour, which is more intriguing and effective than its second half, the film offers, and this is also a credit to Medem, scenes of great beauty, sensitivity and emotion. They are reminiscent of Douglas Sirk and other masters of romantic melodrama, as well as his previous films Lovers of the Arctic Circle and The Tree of Blood [+see also:
trailer
film profile]. However, the film's overly emphasised political discourse ends up clouding the impassioned and lyrical scenes that only a daring filmmaker, true to his personal style, is capable of creating without being overcome by insecurity or falling prey to trends or the algorithm’s dictations. Because Medem is, above all, a baroque visual poet.

8 is a feature film by Barbazul la Película AIE, Eidan Produce and Morena Films, in co-production with Quexito Films and in association with Latido Films as the international sales agent.

(Translated from Spanish)