8½ (1963)

A celebrated Italian film director, creatively blocked and hounded by his entourage, retreats to a spa where memories, dreams and fantasies blur with reality.

Federico Fellini's 1963 drama follows Guido Anselmi, a filmmaker struggling to begin a new picture while his producer, cast, wife and mistress all press him for answers. Seeking rest at a grand resort, he slips instead into a rich stream of recollections and imaginings about the women of his past and his childhood. Marcello Mastroianni leads a cast that includes Claudia Cardinale and Anouk Aimée in this landmark of Italian cinema.