8

Why will your students love 8? Because it offers a poetic journey through nine decades of Spanish history by one of Europe’s most original cinematic voices, Julio Médem (Sex and Lucía, Lovers of the Arctic Circle), providing rich material for discussing Spain’s transition from Civil War through dictatorship to democracy. Because Médem’s formally daring approach—each chapter as a single continuous shot—invites critical analysis of innovative narrative techniques and the construction of historical memory. And because its exploration of political polarization, collective trauma, and gender evolution connects Spain’s past to contemporary global debates, making it ideal for interdisciplinary discussion across film studies, history, and cultural analysis.

Born on the same day—April 14, 1931, the dawn of Spain’s Second Republic—Octavio and Adela’s lives are destined to intertwine. Over nine decades, their paths cross in eight pivotal encounters that mirror the tumultuous history of 20th-century Spain: the Civil War, Franco’s dictatorship, and the nation’s journey toward reconciliation.

In Julio Médem‘s signature lyrical style, each chapter unfolds as a single continuous shot, capturing intimate moments frozen in time while history rages around them. Their relationship becomes an emotional reflection of Spain itself—divided, wounded, yet searching for forgiveness.

Starring Javier Rey (Cocaine Coast) and Ana Rujas (La Mesías), this formally daring “cinematic poem” explores how personal destinies become inseparable from collective trauma, and asks whether love can bridge the deep divisions that have scarred generations. As Médem puts it, the film addresses “the polarization of society, collective trauma, the evolution of the role of women, and freedom”—themes that resonate far beyond Spain’s borders.