Mountain

"Minimal narration from Willem Dafoe makes for engrossing viewing here that puts the emphasis squarely on spectacular footage of… mountains. Often playing tricks with one’s sense of scale, never mind inducing occasional vertigo (as the camera looks down an insanely long drop over the shoulder of an even more insane free climber, for example), Mountain is gripping and hypnotic, setting out to be poetic and awe-inducing, and succeeding on both fronts."

"The combination of the visual spectacle of the world's highest peaks and the musical magic of the Australian Chamber Orchestra makes Jennifer Peedom's documentary Mountain an immersive, meditative and mesmerising experience."

"Sublime, cerebral, poetic and musically evocative, Mountain takes us - it seems - to every mountain in the world in what appears to be a floating armchair, sometimes high above the peaks."

"The score, both original compositions and the works of Vivaldi, Chopin and Beethoven, are perfectly matched to the awe-inspiring imagery and if Mountain had gone full Fantasia and dispensed with commentary entirely it would have been a better film."

"Despite its glorification of thrill-seeking, the message that runs through Mountain like rivulets over rocks is that our highest peaks are places to be revered and respected."

"While these images eventually become repetitious, they are sublime."

"You don't have to be a mountaineer or extreme adventurer to lose yourself (and occasionally your stomach) in a film like Mountain."

"One of the most visceral essay films ever made, with Peedom and her Sherpa altitude cinematographer Renan Ozturk unfurling a series of glistening images that should be seen only on the biggest of big screens."

"This is certainly a film that needs to be seen and experienced on the big screen, and despite its minor flaws, proves quite a mountainous achievement."