# Mountains (2023 film)

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

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 97% of 34 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.30/10. The website's consensus reads: "A beautifully acted and observant portrait of a family and their community, Mountains marks an impressive debut by director Monica Sorelle." 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

| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result |
| Tribeca Festival | June 15, 2023 | Founders Award for Best U.S. Narrative Feature | Mountains | Nominated |
| Tribeca Festival | June 15, 2023 | U.S. Narrative Feature Special Jury Mention | Mountains | Won |
| BlackStar Film Festival | August 7, 2023 | Jury Award for Best Feature Narrative | Mountains | Nominated |
| BlackStar Film Festival | August 7, 2023 | Audience Award for Best Feature Narrative | Mountains | Won |
| Charlotte Film Festival | October 9, 2023 | Best Narrative Feature | Mountains | Won |
| New Hampshire Film Festival | October 15, 2023 | Grand Jury Award, Narrative | Mountains | Won |
| Indie Memphis Film Festival | October 29, 2023 | Best Narrative Feature | Mountains | Won |
| Film Fest Knox | November 12, 2023 | American Regional Competition Jury Prize | Mountains | Won |
| New Orleans Film Festival | November 17, 2023 | Audience Award for Narrative Feature | Mountains | Won |
| Film Independent Spirit Awards | February 25, 2024 | Best Breakthrough Performance | Atibon Nazaire | Nominated |
| Film Independent Spirit Awards | February 25, 2024 | Someone to Watch Award | Monica Sorelle | Won |
| Miami Film Festival | April 13, 2024 | Made in MIA Feature Film Award | Mountains | Won |
| Florida Film Festival | April 22, 2024 | Audience Award for Best Florida Feature | Mountains | Won |
| Seattle International Film Festival | May 19, 2024 | New American Cinema Competition | Mountains | Nominated |
| Florida Film Critics Circle | December 20, 2024 | Golden Orange | Mountains | Won |