Described by Fellini as "something between a muddled visit to a psychiatrist and an examination of a disordered conscience with Limbo as the setting," 8 1/2 is a brilliant portrait of the creative process and a powerful meditation on the relationship between the realms of fantasy and film. Mastroianni plays a successful director who experiences a creative block, which is exacerbated by the demands of his wife (Aimeé), his mistress, his producer, and a legion of actors and technicians from his past productions. His response is to retreat into a fantasy world replete with harems, spaceships, and a luminous actress (Cardinale). A masterpiece of the modern cinema, 8 1/2 earned top honors at the Moscow Film Festival and was nominated for several Academy Awards, winning Oscars for its costume design and Best Foreign Language Film.