The Eighth Floor

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An evocative exploration of memory, exile, and the complexities of the human psyche, The Eighth Floor blurs the lines between reality and fantasy in a hybrid film that melds autobiography with fiction.

Reminiscent of literary autofiction, the film chronicles the life of Jacques Lanctôt, a notable figure of the Front de Libération du Québec (FLQ) upon his return to the eighth-floor room of the Hotel Nacional in Havana, Cuba—a place that once sheltered him during his exile in the 1970s.

Using the presence of a recording team as a pretext for Lanctôt to reflect on his journey towards self-discovery, this biopic captures the emotional turmoil of a man in forced retirement, navigating an intimate and poetic journey through his mind within the enchanted castle of a Caribbean island.

“A hybrid cinematographic work, a documentary as real as fiction, which features actors and the presence of Jacques Lanctôt, expressing himself in interviews in a profound and engaging tribute to the Latin American cinema of the 60s, praising the film Memoirs du sous-development, in a very particular and personal way." – Werner Herzog

“This film is a work of art with the hybrid mix of elements used. Pedro Ruiz does an amazing job at shedding light into this complex story.” – Alejandra de la Huerta, Point of View Magazine

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Main credits

Ruiz, Pedro (film director)
Ruiz, Pedro (film producer)
Ruiz, Pedro (screenwriter)
Maldonado, Arantza (film producer)
Lanctôt, Jacques (on-screen participant)
Dubreuil, Martin (actor)

Other credits

Cinematography, Deymi D'Atri, Rodrigo Michelangeli; editing, Pedro Ruiz; music, Jérôme Minière.

MARC Record See Worldcat record

Keywords

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