Mountain, The

Story

Sam (Elizabeth Atkinson) has been in hospital for a long time having therapy for cancer, which has now returned. She is part Maori, but she never knew her father or his people. She has, however, heard Maori legends, stories that have spoken to her soul, stories about connection to the land and its features, powerful stories that have given her hope. She decides to climb her mountain, Mount Taranaki, believing that if she can reach the summit, her mountain will help her and she will be cured. Moments before secretly leaving the hospital, she releases a bunch of balloons from the rooftop with the heartfelt message ‘Let me live’.

The following morning, on the other side of the city, Mallory (Reuben Francis) is entreating his father to join him on a climb of Mount Taranaki. Mallory’s mother has recently died from cancer, and Mallory wants to do the climb in her honour, saying that she would have loved it. Mallory’s father dismisses the suggestion and sends him Mallory to school.

On the way to school, Mallory meets Bronco (Terence Daniel), who feels abandoned and neglected by his own father. They stumble across a balloon with the cryptic message ‘Let me live’ and then encounter Sam, who has made it to the start of the trail for Mount Taranaki. They decide to help Sam on her quest to reach the summit and save her life. Mallory is doing it to have an adventure and honour his mother, whereas Bronco wants to run away from his father and cause him some of the pain that he has endured himself.

All three children carry heavy baggage, but they soon discover the transformative power of nature and the wondrous magic of friendship. And although they’ve only just met, as they journey up the mountain, they build bonds that not even death can ever destroy.

Themes

Death of a loved one; illness (cancer); children separated from parents; family dysfunction; grief; running away

Violence

The Mountain has some violence. For example:

A character pretends to fight using torches as light sabres. He also does karate moves.
Mallory explains that his mother has died from cancer.
Sam lies to Mallory, telling him that her parents died in a plane crash.
Bronco tells Mallory that one day he is going to make him ‘flesh-eating angry’.
Sam asks Mallory to get her a gun.
Three kids stun themselves on an electric fence. They’re shocked but otherwise unharmed.
A character violently slashes at dense forest vines with a stick.
Mallory falls off a cliff and into a river. He’s carried over some rapids and knocked against rocks before Sam and Bronco can help him.
Sam falls and slices open her leg. There is a big, bloody gash that leaves a trail of blood along the path.
A bike and a helmet fall on a father as he approaches what he believes to be his son. It turns out to be a decoy, and it collapses on the man, knocking him to the ground.

Sexual references

There are no sexual references in The Mountain.

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

There’s no use of substances in The Mountain.

Nudity and sexual activity

There’s no nudity and sexual activity in The Mountain.

Product placement

There’s no product placement in The Mountain.

Coarse language

There’s some mild coarse language in The Mountain, including ‘blinkin’ (as in ‘blinkin rubbish’) and ‘heck’. There’s also some name-calling like ‘cry baby’. And sometime characters say hurtful things to each other, including when Mallory’s father refers to him as a ‘weak, soggy, thing with no friends’ or when someone says, ‘Your mother’s dead. She can’t hear you’.

Ideas to discuss with your children

The Mountain is a heart-warming and sometimes heart-breaking drama from New Zealand director Rachel House. Full of weighty themes, the movie shows how young people can deal with some of the most distressing part of life and still retain a sense of hope and wonder. The movie also seamlessly incorporates Maori language, along with a deep respect and appreciation for nature.

Because of its themes, The Mountain is best suited to teenagers and older audiences. We recommend parental guidance for children aged 9-12.

The main messages from The Mountain are to believe that you have a purpose and to recognise your own value and worth even when others fail to see it. The movie also highlights the importance of listening to your heart and following your dreams, no matter where they lead and what happens along the way.

Values in The Mountain that you could reinforce with your children include determination, hope, friendship, courage, compassion and respect.

The Mountain could also give you the chance to talk with your children about the real-life consequences of things like:

setting off on your own without letting parents know where you’re going
disregarding medical advice and doing what you want instead of what doctors and parents believe is best
judging your children without taking the time to see them for who they are
ignoring children and leaving them to themselves
forgetting that you’re not alone in grief and that the people who love you are going through the same thing alongside you.