Not suitable under 9; parental guidance to 12 (themes, language, upsetting scenes)
This topic contains:
Children under 9 | Not suitable due to themes, language and upsetting scenes. |
Children aged 9–12 | Parental guidance recommended due to themes, language and upsetting scenes. |
Children aged 13 and over | Ok for this age group. |
This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Australian Government Classification Board and the associated consumer advice lines. Other classification advice (OC) is provided where the Australian film classification is not available.
Name of movie: | Mountain, The |
Classification: | PG |
Consumer advice lines: | Mild themes and coarse language |
Length: | 90 minutes |
This review of the movie contains the following information:
Young Sam (Elizabeth Atkinson) has been in the hospital for ages undergoing therapy for a cancer that has returned. She is part Maori, though she never knew her father or his people. She has, however, heard Maori legends, stories that have spoken to her soul, stories about connection to the land and its features, powerful stories that have given her hope. She decides to climb her mountain, Mount Taranaki, believing that if she can reach the summit, her mountain will help her and she will be cured. Moments before secretly leaving the hospital, she releases a bunch of balloons from the rooftop with the heartfelt message: “Let me live.”
The following morning, on the other side of the city, young Mallory (Reuben Francis), who has recently moved to the area after losing his mother to cancer, is entreating his father to join him on a climb of Mount Taranaki in her honour, saying that she would have loved it. Mallory’s suggestion is quickly dismissed by his father who sends him off to school. On the way, Mallory meets Bronco (Terence Daniel), who feels abandoned and neglected by his own father, and the pair soon stumble across a balloon with the cryptic message, “Let me live.” The boys soon encounter Sam, who has made it to the start of the trail for Mount Taranaki, and decide to help her on her quest to reach the summit and save her life. Mallory joins her in his quest for adventure and in honour of his mom, and Bronco is happy to join just to run away from his father and cause him some of the same pain that he himself has endured. Though they all bring some heavy baggage with them, they soon discover the transformative power of Mother Nature, the wondrous magic of friendship and, even though they have only just met, as they journey up the mountain the trio builds bonds and comradery that not even death can ever hope to destroy.
Children and adolescents may react adversely at different ages to themes of crime, suicide, drug and alcohol dependence, death, serious illness, family breakdown, death or separation from a parent, animal distress or cruelty to animals, children as victims, natural disasters and racism. Occasionally reviews may also signal themes that some parents may simply wish to know about.
Death of a loved one; Illness (specifically cancer); Children separated from parents; Family dysfunction; Grief; Running away.
Research shows that children are at risk of learning that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution when violence is glamourised, performed by an attractive hero, successful, has few real life consequences, is set in a comic context and / or is mostly perpetrated by male characters with female victims, or by one race against another.
Repeated exposure to violent content can reinforce the message that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution. Repeated exposure also increases the risks that children will become desensitised to the use of violence in real life or develop an exaggerated view about the prevalence and likelihood of violence in their own world.
There is some violence in this movie, including:
Children under five are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations.
In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children under the age of five, including the following:
Children aged five to eight will also be frightened by scary visual images and will also be disturbed by depictions of the death of a parent, a child abandoned or separated from parents, children or animals being hurt or threatened and / or natural disasters.
In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes and scary visual images, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children aged five to eight, including the following:
Children aged eight to thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic threats and dangers, violence or threat of violence and / or stories in which children are hurt or threatened.
There is some coarse language in this movie, including:
The Mountain is a heart-warming and, at times, heart-breaking, drama from New Zealand director Rachel House. Full of weighty themes, the film shows how young people can deal with some of the most distressing aspects of life and still have hope and find wonder in the world. The film seamlessly incorporates Maori language, along with a deep respect and appreciation for nature that can be often overlooked or overshadowed. Due to its themes, the film is best suited to teens and older audiences, with parental guidance for ages 9 to 12.
The main messages from this movie are to believe that you have a purpose, that you are worthwhile and to recognise your worth even when others may fail to see your value or to see you for who you truly are. The film showcases the importance of listening to your heart and following your dreams, no matter where they may lead and no matter what may happen along the way.
Values in this movie that parents may wish to reinforce with their children include:
This movie could also give parents the opportunity to discuss with their children attitudes and behaviours, and their real-life consequences, such as:
Tip: Leave out the first A, An or The
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Content is age appropriate for children this age
Some content may not be appropriate for children this age. Parental guidance recommended
Content is not age appropriate for children this age
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