Mountain

Every now and then a film comes along that defies traditional genre labels. The 'documentary' is a trusted label that promises to truthfully 'document' some aspect of the real world. Calling Mountain (2017) a documentary shows how inadequate labels can be for what is a film meditation on nature that leaves viewers to create their own message.

Mountain is a visual and aural ode to the beauty, mystery, and power of mountains. It draws on 2,000 hours of filming across twenty-two countries and is narrated sparsely and with solemnity by Willem Dafoe. The Australian Chamber Orchestra provides a rousing score that blends seamlessly with the visuals. The film showcases the world's highest places rather than any individual mountain. Unlike the brilliant Sherpa (2016) which had a coherent social and political message, Mountain is a poetic meditation on mountains everywhere. It includes footage of early mountaineers as well as examples of the modern-day exploitation of mountains. It lingers over their majestic beauty, sneering briefly at queues of commercial trekkers, the clearing of ski slopes for paying customers, and the never-ending cable-cars, chair lifts and helicopters that move hordes of skiers and hikers. The film admires not only snow-covered peaks, but all kinds of mountains and all kinds of mountain activities, including people in wing-suits or on mountain bikes jumping off cliffs and climbers grappling up vertical rock walls where a single misstep can be fatal.

A higher aesthetic is created when you mix stunning mountain-scape cinematography with a superb orchestral score. It is spell-binding for at least half the time, and then the repetition and lack of narrative begins to bite. While the score enhances the visuals, it can also feel like one long musical cliché. Just as we can identify Jaws and Psycho by their signature musical tropes, the dominant orchestral effects in Mountain are predictable aural cues telling us that scaling cliffs is dangerous or that flying over a mountain peak will reveal a wondrous valley below. Some might ask why the film title takes the singular form when it shows many unnamed mountains in many unnamed countries. The reverence given to the subject does not include respect for identity or acknowledgement of place, so the film does not work as a travelogue. The anonymity of the mountains is also reflected in editing that often seems random and incoherent. In one second, a climber is scaling an icy sheer wall, in another, a mountain bike jumps off a ledge. The brief mention of harm caused by commercialisation is tokenistic and so much documentary potential is left unexplored. This means the film is about appearance not substance.

If this is a documentary, it is not clear what it documents. It would make a thrilling short film on a big screen or as a visual background to a live orchestral performance. While the individual aural and visual elements have great beauty, without a narrative purpose they are lovely to admire but all too easy to forget.

I found it very irritating how the movie was going on and on about how mountaineering is completely new. Humans have suddenly come to the realisation that they are beatiful. Of course they haven't Mountains have been the scene for adventures forever.

The 2017 film Mountain is a collaborative film between Australian Director Jennifer Peedom and the Australian Chamber Orchestra.

Director, Jennifer Peedom has really brought a crystal ball experience as a well-informed citizen of the world to the table, showing unearthly Mountains from around the globe to explore. Freakish opening visuals have been guided in by Rene Ozturk, narration by a Willem Dafoe and lastly a great music score to take refuge in by Richard Tognetti. It expertly touches on our consistently fragile and adventurous human nature. It's a perfect set up of creatives to entertain the viewer.

The music is a stand out element being utilized in sequences that balances electronic textures with other world like vocals that whisper in your ear, as you visually fall back to earth, alongside the daredevil mountain folk from an unscalable precipice. The Australian Chamber Orchestra deliver music by Vivaldi, and other classical composers perfectly supporting the epic montages with a fantastic hand.

There are great editing sequences throughout the film that let you experience intimately every the kinetic feeling of the insanity of jumping off a cliff, or tightrope walking between unfathomable red rock desert monsters. The sequences of the earth's seasonal rhythmic patterns pay tribute to our everyday emotions.

American Actor, Willem Dafoe voice deeply narrates the words of the British writer Robert Macfarlane like a timeless guide unpacking dialog that unlocks the mystery behind each mountain, whilst you wait quietly your fate.

Jen Peedom and the team have really taken us to the top of the form here. We are in her safe hands with plenty of poetic substance. Only advice is to go and see it.

Loved it!

One of the best documentaries I've ever seen. Beautiful cinematography and music that really fits the theme. It just flows from start to finish. Well worth watching...

Poetry, music and visually stunning. Willem Dafoe narrative was awesome. I loved the music selection. Just a beautiful piece of art.