Nothing charms quite like New Zealand can. In actress Rachel House’s feature directing debut, she is our sherpa up “The Mountain,” a spiritual journey about young friendship. Sam (Elizabeth Atkinson) is a hospital patient fighting cancer. Holding the belief that local Mount Taranaki holds ancestral healing power, Sam runs away from the hospital with the intent of reaching its summit.
Elsewhere, Mallory (Reuben Francis) is the new kid in town and is grieving over the recent loss of his mother. In her memory, and on her birthday, he asks his father (Byron Coll) if they can climb Mount Taranaki and he says no. He then meets neighborhood kid Bronco (Terrence Daniel), whose father is the new police officer in the town.
Rachel House’s Direction Excels
When Mallory gets to his first day of school, he sees how close he is to Mount Taranaki and goes to its base before class. There, he crosses paths with Sam, and she shows him her map, and enlists his help for supplies. Pointing at a drawing on her map of her roasting marshmallows: “So, you’ll have to bring the marshmallows.” Marshmallows and sleeping bags in tow, the three set upon their journey, with Bronco tagging along when he follows them to the base of the mountain.
The most impressive aspect of “The Mountain” is Rachel House’s direction of the trio of kids. In filmmaking, working with kids or with animals is notoriously one of the hardest jobs for a director. Through House being a seasoned pro on so many film sets (from “Whale Rider” to “The Hunt for the Wilder People,” to name a few), the direction looks effortless in her debut. Of course, as someone who looks to be so much fun off the screen and on-screen, it’s no wonder she’s able to get such fun and heartfelt performances out of the trio.
The Cast Has Their Shining Moments
It’s challenging for many films to have one kid standout in a film, let alone three. Each one finds their shining moments in “The Mountain,” because of their individual strengths and as the stars and beating heart of the film. These are kids with traits that will remind audiences of their own children; or will remind them of themselves as children. For me, I related most to Mallory. A rule follower through and through, this is most definitely the first time he’s skipped school. As the new kid, he doesn’t have many friends yet and that’s his drive for this adventure: finding friendship and feeling closer to his mother. As a kid, I was just looking for friends, as well, and Mallory’s kind demeanor is what I aspired to have. I am also a major Mama’s boy; so a scene where Mallory comforts himself by recalling a memory of his mom by pretending to talk to her, I found very moving.
A scene from “The Mountain.” (Photo: courtesy of TIFF).
Sam is on this journey to find belonging and find out who she is, and to learn more about her culture. She tells a story about the mountains and a love story of how they came to be, beautifully visualized through VFX of stars in the sky. When Bronco asks where she heard the story, she says, “Google.” She wants to know more about where she comes from because her mom hasn’t told her enough about her culture. Part of her drive is finding those answers on “my mountain,” as she calls it.
A Rewarding Film
Bronco relates to this sense of belonging because he feels neglected by his father. Through Bronco and Sam, we learn a lot about the culture of the Mãori people. It makes learning about the culture that more rewarding because we’re taught it by the next generation of kids. Bronco is connected to the land, and he feels so mature for his young age as he feels that he is a protector for Mother Earth. We first meet him collecting “get well” balloons across the town, that Sam releases in the opening of the film. Since Bronco is a helpful character for exposition, in less sure hands he would feel like a cookie cutter character.
In the screenplay by Rachel House and Tom Furniss, he feels as well-rounded as Sam and Mallory, and the film wouldn’t feel complete without his presence. Their chemistry and friendship is such a memorable aspect of the film, and their character arcs feel so rewarding by the end of it. They help bring the film’s sharp New Zealand humour to life, even though the film’s billed as an adventure drama. It will still have you smiling, and crying, right to the end credits.
“The Mountain” is showing at the Toronto International Film Festival until September 15th, 2024.
