The towering peak in actress Rachel House’s directorial debut, “The Mountain,” opening at the M.V. Film Center on April 24, gets star billing when the credits roll. New Zealand’s great, dormant, 8,261-foot volcano, Mount Taranaki, shrouded in mist, plays a central role in this coming-of-age drama about three young friends, with madcap humor, a sense of drama, a touch of sadness, and a good deal of heart.
We meet the youth and the mountain immediately. As funky music plays, Sam (Elizabeth Atkinson), dressed in a T shirt, sweatpants, and a knit cap covering her bald head, kicks and karate-chops across the screen. After a few quick pushups, she addresses an enormous poster in front of her, saying, “I think we can both see I’m pretty much a warrior woman, which can only mean one thing. That I belong to you, Mount Taranaki. We can have a good talk about it when I get there.”
Sam begins her journey by stealthily escaping from what turns out to be a hospital, trailing huge, inflated gift-store balloons behind her. Before releasing them into the dark night sky in the hope that they reach the mountain, we see the notes she has tied to the end of each balloon’s string. The phrase “Let me live” appears on each. Sam has cancer, and is determined to climb what, in Maori belief, is considered to be an “ancestor” for healing. The Maori concept that nature is a living, interconnected kinship system in which humans, land, and all creatures and natural elements share a genealogical connection weaves throughout the film. As another friend, the precociously wise Bronco (Terence Daniel), who is Maori, says at one point, “Trees, leaves, rocks, moss — we’re all family.” Bronco is angry that his father, a recently promoted policeman, never seems to have time for him, and he is thus happy to join the adventure to Mount Taranaki.
The third friend on the journey is Mallory (Reuben Francis), a slightly overweight, kindhearted soul, who has recently lost his mother to cancer. Mallory, who mourns her deeply, asks his father to hike the mountain in honor of her birthday. His father refuses, insisting they move forward and ignore the pain. So he joins the duo on their quest for emotional and physical healing.
As the imaginative twists and turns of the story unfold, the youths’ relationships with one another — and with themselves — deepen in authentic ways that reflect sophisticated performances despite their tender ages.
The stunning cinematography by Matt Henley of the spectacular, lush Taranaki region, inventive use of animation, spirited music, and the infusion of Maori language, belief systems, and culture make “The Mountain” a special experience.
“The Mountain” screens at the M.V. Film Center starting on April 24. For tickets and information, visit mvfilmsociety.com.