THE FATHER WHO MOVES MOUNTAINS

Romania, 2021, 108 minutes, Colour.

Adrian Titieni, Elena Purea, Judith State, Valeriu Andriuta, Virgil Aioanei.

Directed by Daniel Sandu.

A Romanian film set in breathtakingly beautiful mountain scenery – beautiful but, in winter, potentially destructive.

The film takes place over a week. Firstly, the audience is introduced to a middle-aged man, Mircea, seen with his pregnant wife. Out shopping, he receives a phone call from the police, hurrying home to find that the news is that his son and the son’s girlfriend are lost in the mountains.

The title indicates the intensity of the Father’s intentions, perfectly willing to move mountains to find his son, seen, eventually, digging vigorously in the snow, determined to find his son’s body.

Although the character is not particularly likeable, audiences will begin to dislike him even more as the film progresses. He is commanding, expects all his orders to be immediately obeyed. He meets the man in charge of rescue and search, wants to impose his will about the search, making demands despite hearing of the difficulties in the terrain and the weather. He then calls on his resources, his military connections and personal debts to him, bringing up an extraordinary amount of equipment, suggestions that not all of this is legal, for triangulation to discover the couple’s phones and try to locate them.

Day by day he becomes more intense in his obsession. He is joined by the parents of the young woman who disappeared. His ex-wife comes to the mountains – with the revelation that the son lives with her rather than with his father. Suggestions of guilt which are elaborated on as the film goes on. His pregnant wife also comes. He is impatient with his ex-wife’s religious outlook and prayer. He clashes with his pregnant wife. Eventually, both of them see that he is obsessed and leave the site.

Ultimately, he calls for volunteers, mortgaging his house to his pregnant wife’s dismay, to pay for the volunteers to dig in the mountains with him. The harsh side of his character appears when he refuses to help a woman whose daughter is lost, not willing anyone else to use his equipment. Ultimately, while digging in the snow, and news of another man lost, he does allow his men to go to help and that man is rescued.

The question is whether Mircea is in any way redeemed by his experience, by his obsession, by his ex-wife reminding him of his obsessive guilt even though she has forgiven him, by his continual searching – with a final image of him digging in the snow and the camera rising to show the beautiful mountains which dominate and control human endeavour.

1. A film from Romania? The picturesque mountain scenery, the moods of the mountains, winter, snow, avalanches? And a personal drama, obsession, illusion that he could find his son, then that he could dig his body out of the snow?
2. The locations, the mountains, the resort and hotel, the details of travelling and working in the mountains, the cable car? The musical score?
3. The introduction to Mircea? His pregnant wife, the shopping, her wanting him to make decisions? His distraction with the picture of the stockinged legs? Indication of his past? Revelation that he had been married, divorced, his son living with his ex-wife? The initial part of the film not revealing his background?
4. The phone call, the police, the revelation of the disappearance of his son and girlfriend? His going into action, phone calls, identifying the girl, her phone call, identifying her parents? His relying on his assistant, Laure?
5. His hurrying to the mountains? The phone call to Paula? Her coming? Meeting the girl’s parents? Meeting Christian, in charge of search operations and rescue? His squad, their experience, testimonies on the wall of the office, skills, equipment?
6. The manifestation of Mircea’s obsession, insisting that he go, Christian’s refusal, Mircea becoming more and more insistent, his track, unable to keep up, the return?
7. Audience sentiment, empathy with the father searching for a lost son, empathy for the mother who was dependent on her son, empathy for the parents of the missing woman? Yet Mircea’s growing obsession, insistence, stubbornness? His being disagreeable personality? Audience antipathy towards him? Paula and her criticisms, his past infidelities, the divorce, the son living with her? Alina and her criticisms, her pregnancy, her love, but his stubbornness?
8. The details of the search, the possibilities, the weather, December, harsh winter, snow falls, avalanches? The limits for the skilled squad?
9. Mircea, the revelation of his resources, people in debt to him, the military, military intelligence, his ability to ask for specialised equipment, the questions of its legality? Setting it up, he reliance on Filip and loyalty? On Laure? The trained men, the setting up of the tent, the extraordinary equipment, the triangulation for the phones? Finding the phones, listening to the recordings, the impact?
10. The woman whose daughter went missing, her plea to Mircea, his own obsession but his harshness towards her, unwilling to help her? The contrast with Paula and her listening to the woman?
11. The team, the individual men, Christian and his reaction, trying to get Mircea to back off, to face the reality?
12. Paula, talking with the mother of the missing woman, then blaming the daughter? The effect on the family? The decision to leave? The father, his helping with the digging, finally leaving?
13. Paula, her religious beliefs, prayer, the church, Mircea and his lack of belief, tossing away the cross, refusing to go to the church? Paula, realising his obsession, leaving?
14. Mircea getting friends, getting volunteers, going to the head of the chairlift, eventually that being refused? The official team, the red markers in the snow? The digging, Mircea and his team, the relentless digging?
15. Alina, her leaving? Her return, her love, wanting to support her husband?
16. Mircea digging, the information about the lost man, allowing his team to go, the men being saved?
17. Paula and her comments about Mircea’s guilt, leaving her, guilt towards his son? Sufficient to explain his obsession, the magnitude and possession of his obsession, leading to an illusion that he would be able to find his son?
18. The final image, Mircea digging, the camera rising to show the majesty of the mountains, and that humans fail with the domination of the mountains?