An Icelandic family drama about fate and forgiveness, writer/director Ásthildur Kjartansdóttir’s film also has a cosmic and winningly existentialist edge, which seems fitting given that the wilderness here looks like the mountains of the Moon.
Astronomer Maria (Sólveig Guðmundsdóttir) believes that she’s found a new comet, and she’s excited to travel to the forbidding highlands with her husband Atli (Björn Hlynur Haraldsson) and daughter Anna (Ísadóra Bjarkardóttir Barney) so they can all see it. However, electrician Atli needs to work, while aspiring muso Anna has the first show with her band coming up, so the disappointed Maria must travel alone, singing along (in a little English) to Roy Orbison’s In Dreams as she goes.
When something terrible happens (offscreen), Atli falls into a depressed silence, while Anna seeks comfort in the arms of her goofy bandmate boyfriend until she must face another crisis. Both blame themselves, and feel like they didn’t love and failed to protect Maria, which eventually leads them to journey to see the comet and, just maybe, say goodbye.
Guðmundsdóttir’s story is all about grief and loss, but also acceptance and understanding, and the performances are lovely, with Barney especially good as the wracked-with-guilt Anna. There’s also a sweet underlying theme about music: Anna wears a Nirvana t-shirt and Atli opts for Joy Division, while Atli was in a moderately famous band years back but gave it away so he could help bring up his daughter. And is he bitter about that, or not?
We’d also like to know what Anna is singing about in her obviously autobiographical (and increasingly popular) songs but, somewhat oddly, they’re not subtitled until after tragedy strikes. Odd, that.
THE MOUNTAIN (M)
(3.5 out of 5)
The Mountain is screening as part of the Hurtigruten Scandinavian Film Festival 2025, which runs until 14 August 2025. Details: palacenova.com.au
