On the slopes of whakapapa

Kids go bush in Taranaki in a family flick with some familiar touches.

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THE MOUNTAIN
Directed by Rachel House

With a voice that requires no megaphone and a commanding presence - especially when she's playing welfare officers hunting Wilderpeople - actor Rachel House would seem well equipped to direct films. The Mountain is the actor's first feature where she's in charge. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given her past drama coaching experience with youngsters and her omnipresence in Taika Waititi's films, it's a kid-led movie. One that could exist in the same universe as Boy and Hunt for the Wilderpeople. A kind of younger, milder, safer, sadder cousin.

Though, sorry to say, it's not quite in the same league. Even with its sweet, affecting ending, it's an uneven film with not enough story and one aimed chiefly at kids, even if it is taking on some serious stuff, like whakapapa, absent parents and cancer.