The Mountain is a quietly emotional Icelandic film that paints a photorealistic picture of dealing with the grief of losing a loved one unexpectedly.
Maria (Sólveig Guðmundsdóttir), an astronomer, thinks she has discovered a new comet. Excited, she organises a road trip to the highlands with her husband Atli (Björn Hlynur Haraldsson) and daughter Anna (Ísadóra Bjarkardóttir Barney, real life daughter of singer Björk). However when the day comes, Atli has to work and Anna has an unmissable opportunity with her band to perform live. Disappointed, Maria makes the trip by herself but sadly, never makes it home.
What follows is essentially a study into the stages of grief.
Atli spirals into a state of inebriated depression. Meanwhile, Anna finds comfort in her bandmate and winds up pregnant. Her first instinct is to turn to her mother for advice and support, and grief overtakes her when she realises this is no longer possible.
Eventually, father and daughter decide to make the trip to the highlands that they were originally meant to go on with Maria. Together, they overcome their guilt and grief, as well as the challenging terrain, to help Maria to realise her dream.
Written and directed by Ásthildur Kjartansdóttir, the film is shot on location in the Icelandic Highlands and Hafnarfjörðu, a town outside of Reykjavik. To be honest, I was expecting the movie to be more visually stimulating. However, in retrospect the visuals do add to the somber mood of the movie.
What truly makes the film is the stunningly haunting vocals by Ísadóra Bjarkardóttir Barney. An interesting point to note is the addition of subtitles to her music after the passing of her mother, as she processes her grief through song.
Another favourite scene is when Atli finds his wife’s journal, filled with her beautiful words. My heart broke all over again for him.
Overall, this quietly powerful and moving drama left me contemplative of life, loss and the footprints we leave behind.
The Mountain is now showing as part of the 2025 Hurtigruten Scandinavian Film Festival