Many would say that the best stories are true stories. Therefore, some of the greatest films have been autobiographical in nature. 8 1/2 is one of these films, and is the brainchild of this month's Director Spotlight, Federico Fellini. It follows an Italian film director who must deal with his various romantic entanglements while trying to decide on his next picture. Fellini himself was having director's block before he developed this script; the title is because he had already directed six full-length films and three shorter ones (1/2 each), adding up to 7 1/2 before this one. It was clear from the get-go that this is a passion project unlike any of his others, and I dare anyone not to become thoroughly engrossed.

Guido Anselmi (Marcello Mastroianni) is halfway through a science fiction film before he grows bored and despondent with his life, leading him to check into a spa before returning to work. While there, he sees his resentful wife, Luisa; his needy mistress, Carla; his skeptical confidante, Rosella; and Claudia, a beautiful and mysterious new actress in his film. He is also plagued by several dreams and nightmares. He sees himself suffocating in a car of smoke before floating into the sky like a balloon; he sees his dead parents and his childhood experience watching an obese prostitute dance on the sand; and he seems himself as the lord of a harem consisting of all the women in his life and ruled by his bullwhip (both literal and figurative). Eventually he discovers the truth about Claudia: she is dull and stupid, which makes Guido even less sure about his path. He faces a crowd of reporters at a press conference concerning the film's future, which sets the stage for the fantastic climax.

What an amazing experience! From the opening shots, Fellini pulls you into Guido's (and his own) world and never lets go. Mastroianni performs admirably, as does the ever-present ensemble, but the real triumph is the direction. It is obvious that Fellini knows exactly what he wants from each individual shot and performance. One distracting aspect is the overuse of dialogue dubbing; each actor was asked to state random phrases while the scripted lines were dubbed in later. While it's astounding that the actors still kept the same motivations and intentions as the director required, seeing their lips move to different words makes things seem kinda strange. Other than that and the occasional narrative lull, I was captivated.

By several accounts, Fellini had a difficult time making sure the film didn't become too depressing, and tied a note near the viewfinder of the camera stating, "Remember, this is a comedy". Thankfully, the humor comes through and sets the groundwork for other absurdist autobiographies such as Bergman's Wild Strawberries, Fosse's All That Jazz and Charlie Kaufman's Adaptation. I award 8 1/2 four and one-half pitchforks; thanks to Fellini's vision, this story rises above what could be a very boring storyline, which is what I've heard Nine became.