The Mountain Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

The Mountain Blu-ray Movie Review

A compelling examination of sexuality and mental health

Set during the 1950's, The Mountain is a visually striking exploration of mental health as well as sexuality. The film is an introspective exploration which revolves around deeply human themes. The Mountain was executive produced by Natalie Farrey (Her, Where the Wild Things Are), Vincent Landay (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation.), and Danny Gabai (The Beach Bum, Climax). A compelling effort with many layers to explore, there is much to consider in this intelligent drama.

The young and solemn Andy (Tye Sheridan) is struggling to find himself (as he seeks to understand who he is on the inside). It seems there are no easy answers. His mother was lobotomized and he recently lost his father as well. Unable to cope with his difficulties, Andy ends up helping aid in the studies of patients of the eccentric Dr. Wallace Fiennes (Jeff Goldblum) while spending an enormous amount of time around him (out to lunch, in the car, and at hotels).

The strange Dr. Wallace Fiennes is one of the last to do lobotomies as it falls out of favor with society at large. Despite being an unlikely alliance, Dr. Fiennes and Andy become close friends. At the same time, Andy is silently struggling to accept his growing connection to Dr. Wallace Fiennes' patients as well as his confusing sexual feelings (which might suggest bisexuality). What lies ahead of the great mountain?

Walking towards the clouds.

The film has such striking cinematography by Lorenzo Hagerman (Which Way Home, Heli) that is is easy to be pulled in to the narrative. The cold and clinical style on display in the photography seems perfectly well-suited to the storyline. There is a real bleakness to the imagery and it creates a more compelling experience out of the film as a result. The film constantly demonstrates how Andy is disconnected from the world around him. The world seems bleak and gray to him.

There is a serene music score composed by Robert Donne (Terrible Love, Hide Your Smiling Faces) which seems to blend in with the cinematography perfectly. The film is a rather quiet one (and the music score isn't flashy in any sense of the word). Yet the music here is compelling and suits the characters well. The cold, clinical production design created by Jacqueline Abrahams (The Lobster, How I Live Now) is almost supernatural in its white, pristine canvas.

Directed by Rick Alverson (The Comedy, Entertainment), The Mountain is a surrealist experience. There is something metaphorical about the entire film. There is never a moment where it feels like an excerpt taken from reality. Instead, The Mountain feels like a painting aiming to mirror the real world. The screenplay by Alverson and co-screenwriters Dustin Guy Defa (Person to Person, Bad Fever) and Colm O'Leary (New Jerusalem, The Builder) is enormously effective at building unique characters and exploring their personal journeys. The dialogue is sharp and compelling.

The Mountain never aims to give viewers answers to its questions but it poses a number of compelling ideas for viewers to dissect like a maze. The film wants to become discussed and dissected. It makes for a unique viewing experience which is certainly worth one's time. Though an imperfect film, the ambition on display in The Mountain is impressive and the film still weaves together its own spell. Worth a watch.

The Mountain Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from distributor Kino Lorber, The Mountain has received a 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition presentation in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.37:1 full frame. The presentation is a worthwhile one with a sparse and naturalistic color design which is well reproduced with the quality encoding on the disc. The imagery is often highly evocative and the strong detail in the photography adds to the experience.

The full-frame aspect ratio is an unusual choice for a modern film production but the results with The Mountain are certainly striking and make an impact on the film and its approach to storytelling (adding a claustrophobic feeling to the visuals). Detail is exceptional and there were no glaring quality issues with regards to banding, DNR, and other possible detriments. A quality presentation.

The Mountain Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release features two lossless audio options: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. The surround sound track is extremely minimalistic in design and there are only a few scenes that seem to fully utilize the surround channels. However, the quality of the track is exceptional. Music is extremely crisp and the score adds to the surrealism of the filmmaking. Dialogue is consistently clear and easy to understand. Optional French and English SDH subtitles (for the deaf and hard of hearing) are also provided.

The Mountain Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio Commentary featuring director Rick Alverson (and moderated by Polygon editor Matt Patches)

Deleted Scene: The Bar (HD, 2:03) is a strangely hypnotic sequence which occurs inside of a bar and which showcases one of the central characters in the film going off-the-rails. The scene would have felt decidedly out of place in the finished production but viewed as a standalone sequence it's actually quite impressive. (Interestingly, the scene appears to be a finished version and is not a pre-production deleted sequence – no time stamps or marks are seen at any point during the scene).

Interview with Jeff Goldblum (HD, 15:22) is a fascinating discussion with the beloved actor.

Lastly, the theatrical trailer (HD, 2:10) is also included for The Mountain.

The Mountain Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Surrealist and haunting, The Mountain is a captivating drama featuring excellent performances by stars Tye Sheridan (Ready Player One) and Jeff Goldblum (Jurassic Park). The film has an independent heart, through-and-through. There is something beautiful about it which simply cannot go ignored. Don't miss this quietly thoughtful and compelling film. Highly recommended.