TIFF ’24: Rachel House Directs “The Mountain”
Friday, September 6, 2024 at 7:00PM 
Rachel House is a terrific actress from New Zealand whose most memorable performances are, for most, likely those delivered in Taika Waititi’s films, including Eagle vs. Shark and Hunt for the Wilderpeople. She’s also capable of strong dramatic work, including her first film role, the Oscar-nominated Whale Rider, and as a cruel immigration facility guard in the Netflix limited series Stateless. She’s done voice work in popular animated films like Moana and Soul. After years of coaching young actors like Julian Dennison and directing theater, she’s made her own first film as director, The Mountain, a delight making its North American premiere at TIFF…
At the start of the film, Sam (Elizabeth Atkinson) is already planning her escape from a juvenile cancer ward with one goal in mind: to climb the Taranaki Maunga, a mountain with great Māori cultural significance. She reluctantly enlists the assistance of Bronco (Terence Daniel) and Mallory (Reuben Francis), two boys who are dealing with their own grief and uncertainty about the world and are intimidated into cooperation by their formidable new friend. As this unlikely trio prepares for a strenuous physical journey, their concerned parents find each other and try to catch up with their children, working on the best way to approach them and stop them from continuing on a quest they believe to be dangerous.
This feels like exactly the kind of film that House would make given the comedy work she typically does, though it is perfectly family-friendly even if Sam seems like a character who, in another project, could spend the entire film swearing. It has heart and a delightful larger-than-life nature without adding too much complexity to its narrative construction. Sam is already sick and ready to write her own destiny at the start of the film, and she’s not going to let anyone talk her out of her plan. She’s more than willing to tell a lie to achieve her aims, like pretending to be an orphan so that Mallory, who has recently lost his mother, will feel compelled to help her, and has a fierce determination that speaks to the knowledge that her life may not be long but that she wants to live every moment of it in the best way she can.
This is the first film for all three young actors, and House demonstrates an expectedly marvelous ability to bring out the best in them. Given how Dennison and others have created successful careers after early starts with House, they likely have positive cinematic futures ahead of them. The Mountain is a pleasant palate cleanser, an affirming dash of hope that doesn’t take itself too seriously but does make its characters, however young and starry-eyed, feel real and relatable, even for adult audiences. Throughout her impressive filmography, House has learned much from her collaborators and makes an endearing debut with this gem. B+
The Mountain makes its North American premiere in the Centrepiece section at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.
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