Mountains is a 2023 American drama film, directed by Monica Sorelle in her directorial debut, from a screenplay by Sorelle and Robert Colom. It stars Atibon Nazaire, Sheila Anozier, and Chris Renois.
Mountains had its world premiere at Tribeca Festival on June 9, 2023, and was released on August 16, 2024, by Music Box Films. The film was nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards, including Best Breakthrough Performance for Nazaire, and Someone to Watch for Sorelle, which she won.
Premise Xavier is a Haitian demolition worker living in Little Haiti, Miami with his wife, Esperance, and college dropout son, Junior. While pursuing a new house for the family, he is faced with the realities of redevelopment as he is tasked with dismantling his rapidly gentrifying neighborhood.
Cast Atibon Nazaire as Xavier Sheila Anozier as Esperance Chris Renois as Junior Kerline Alce as Magaly Karina Bonnefil as Angeline Yaniel Castillo as Chino Serafin Falcon as Jorge Farley Louis as Farrell Macc Plaise as Jimmy Bechir Sylvain as Dominique Roscoè B. Thické III as Daniel
Release The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival on June 9, 2023, where it received a Special Jury Mention for US Narrative Feature. It went onto screen at the BlackStar Film Festival on August 6, 2023, 2023 Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2023, and AFI Fest on October 27, 2023. In June 2024, Music Box Films acquired US distribution rights to the film, and set it for an August 16, 2024 release at Coral Gables Art Cinema, with an August 23, 2024 expansion.
Reception Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 81 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
In his Critic's Pick review for Indiewire, Christian Blauvelt gave Mountains an “A” and hailed it as one of 2024’s “best debut features.” Angelica Jade Bastién of Vulture called Mountains “a quietly magnificent debut,” and described it as “a vibrant story of gentrification and generational divides in Miami’s Little Haiti, brought to life by tremendous performances.” John Fink of The Film Stage observed that the film “frames the disappearance of Miami’s Little Haiti with a warm, compassionate gaze recalling the masters of social realism – akin to Roberto Rossellini with the touch of Ousmane Sembène’s lighter films.” Erick Massoto of Collider described Mountains as "a powerful character study and a great debut for Monica Sorelle that marks her as one to watch."
IndieWire included Mountains on its list of "The 17 Best First Feature Films of 2024.”
Accolades AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryRecipient(s)ResultTribeca Festival June 15, 2023 Founders Award for Best U.S. Narrative Feature Mountains U.S. Narrative Feature Special Jury Mention BlackStar Film Festival August 7, 2023 Jury Award for Best Feature Narrative Audience Award for Best Feature Narrative Charlotte Film Festival October 9, 2023 Best Narrative Feature New Hampshire Film Festival October 15, 2023 Grand Jury Award, Narrative Indie Memphis Film Festival October 29, 2023 Best Narrative Feature Film Fest Knox November 12, 2023 American Regional Competition Jury Prize New Orleans Film Festival November 17, 2023 Audience Award for Narrative Feature Film Independent Spirit Awards February 25, 2024 Best Breakthrough Performance Atibon Nazaire Someone to Watch Award Monica Sorelle Miami Film Festival April 13, 2024 Made in MIA Feature Film AwardMountains Florida Film FestivalApril 22, 2024 Audience Award for Best Florida Feature Seattle International Film FestivalMay 19, 2024 New American Cinema Competition Florida Film Critics CircleDecember 20, 2024 Golden Orange
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