 8 1/2 is about Guido Anselmi, an Italian director who has lost all inspiration for his upcoming movie, and it s too late to back out. And aside from the fact that he can t make the film, his mistress, wife, producer, and all the rest of his friends, are pressuring him about one thing or another. So he retreats into his dreams to shelter himself from the pressure, and there, he finds inspiration to make his new film, and face the world.