The Mountain: Movie Review 

Cast: Elizabeth Atkinson, Terrence Daniel, Reuben Francis, Fern Sutherland, Troy Kingi, Byron Call
Director: Rachel House

Child cancer, dead mothers, errant fathers - they're all big weighty issues in director Rachel House's drama, which doesn't shy away from reality or indulge in mawkish sentimentality.

Atkinson plays Sam, a child cancer patient who breaks out from her hospital ward via the roof to go and visit her spiritual ancestor Mount Taranaki from which she believes she will be able to draw strength. 

An accidental meeting with Mallory (Francis) who's recently lost his mother to cancer convinces Sam he can be her sherpa and get no credit from climbing to the top.

Along the way they bump into Terrence Daniel's Bronco, a staunch Maori enviro-activist, who sees litter as "blinking disrespectful" and who believes he's being ignored by his father, a policeman who's just moved to the area. All three of them set out with something to prove - but will they make it?

The Mountain is occasionally uneven, and has some rough edges with its first time cast - despite having great heart and mana about it.

Moments that should be jokes sometimes fall flat, punchlines are not as snappy as they could be; but the film's heart shines through in some inspired and creative moments. from the use of KRS-One's Sound of the Police at a fireside hangout to some unbelievably jaw-dropping shots of Mount Taranaki itself.

Perhaps some of the problem with The Mountain is it never really rises above its sweetness and intentions as a kids' film. With little to no conflict in the movie, the film's drama is severely undercooked and feels more like a hangout movie rather than anything with definitive aims.

It's worth noting that the trope of the quirky Maori kid is once deployed in Bronco, a crowd-pleaser who wears his heart on his sleeve; but it's disappointing to see this once again rolled out for global audiences. 

Yet among the group of Mallory, Sam and Bronco, there's a pleasing dynamic and an understated bond that runs tried and true throughout. It's all held together by the first time actors - and by leaving them as a gang while the parents try and track them down and deal with their own issues, the Mountain doesn't seek to overcomplicate matters throughout.

There's a charm in The Mountain, and an understanding of what the ancestral home means to Sam, Mallory and Bronco in their own ways proves to be a valuable message for viewers.

But make no mistake, while it doesn't reach perhaps the summit of what it could be, House's take on a coming-of-age story that's etched with tragedy, yet never overplays its inherent sadness, is something to be saluted.