The Mountain: An Authentic Māori Story Marking Multiple Brilliant Debuts

by Heesun Park

The coming-of-age adventure genre is undergoing a drought. Rob Reiner’s Stand By Me (1986), though canonical, is nearing 40 years old. Stranger Things still has a final season left, but hype is fading out. The kids are all well past puberty now—quite literally bursting at the seams of their outgrown costumes. Principal actor Millie Bobby Brown even got married between seasons. 

That isn’t to say that people don’t want to see coming-of-age adventure stories on the screen anymore. Of course, people crave nostalgic childhood adventures. There’s an undeniable magic in being able to portray the magnitude of growing up and all the wonderful and terrible things that come with it. But it has to be done right to be something good and genuine.

In comes The Mountain (2024), the feature film directorial debut of New Zealand star Rachel House. Also the acting debuts of its primary cast of child actors, the story follows a trio of Kiwi pre-teens—Sam (Elizabeth Atkinson), Bronco (Terence Daniel), and Malory (Reuben Francis)—who set out to climb the glorious Mount Taranaki in a journey for healing, heritage, and friendship.

The Mountain is a multi-layered treat. Visually stunning and moving, it allows the paradisiacal landscapes of Taranaki to do all the talking. Thematically, too, The Mountain is rich and kaleidoscope-like in what it can offer to its audience. 

Our team of misfits each pursue Taranaki for their own reasons. A cancer-stricken Sam seeks out Taranaki for both emotional and physical healing, a timid Malory seeks Taranaki in an act of adventure and grief, and a sharp-minded Bronco, already well-connected to the landscape due to his Māori heritage, runs away from home to send a message to his absent father. From the endless well of these three characters, messages of heritage, Māori culture, friendship, family, grief, nature, and more are seemingly endless—because The Mountain understands that, through the Māori lens, all those things are interconnected. 

Though the quality of The Mountain’s writing cannot be understated, the same has to be said for the directing abilities of Rachel House. A leader in Māori representation in media, House’s knowledge and understanding of her culture is palpable. You need not go past the opening credits to realize it: Taranaki is its own living character in the film and is even listed as a talent. But, perhaps shining just as brightly as the reverence House holds for Taranaki and her country’s landscapes, is the respect and tenderness she holds for her craft, cast, and crew.

Possessing an impressive background as an acting coach and director for theater and short film, in addition to undeniable accomplishments as an actor, House is a jack-of-all-trades in the world of performing arts. I was able to interview House alongside Daniel on the day of The Mountain’s North American premiere and, in our conversation, I witnessed firsthand House’s approach to her craft.

While her responses to my questions as to how the film was made were enlightening, I found her dynamic with Daniel to be just as informative. New to the world of film promotions, it was clear that Daniel was exhausted from traveling and feeling out of place. Seeing this, House jokingly asked if he’s been able to sleep at all, telling him, “We'll have to come home and have a sleep after the premiere—which doesn't sound very glamorous, does it? But I think that's what we're going to have to do, T.” Continuing to affectionately refer to him as “T” throughout the interview, House actively created space for Daniel. She encouraged him to let his voice be heard, coaxing him into responding and egging him on with friendly and conversational reactions. Seeing the bond and regard House had for Daniel made it easy to realize just how she was able to elicit such promising performances from her young cast.

The Mountain marks a bright beginning for House, Atkinson, Daniel, and Francis. It is an impressive narrative feat bound to become a family favorite for all who watch it. And, the source of all its warmth, no doubt, are the tender memories certain to guide the director and actors of The Mountain throughout the rest of their careers.