30. 8 1/2 (1963)
directed by Federico Fellini
Fellini’s ambiguously titled film about film, it follows Marcello Mastroianni as Guido, a sort of filmmaker-in-hiding, unable to land on the right ideas for his next film. No one else seems bothered, as he is hassled relentlessly for details. But how to explain a film about personal memories which Guido, himself, has never wrapped his mind around? How to move forward with a film about a life misunderstood when the life doing the misunderstanding cannot see itself with any clarity? Cannot make the circus happen? Fellini takes us inside the mind of the artist, in what may or may not have been sheer autobiography. That certainly makes for an entertaining story. A film for all aspiring filmmakers, artists, and those interested in the processes and intersections of mind & creativity and thought & art.