What ruins the potential of this movie is its failed maneuvers trying to push (really hard) some poetic qualities related to the order of sensations and affects. In the terms or Deleuze and Guattari concepts. There is a hush during the depiction of the sequences through shots that doesn't allow the poetic details invade the images in a natural flow. What really contradicts the film's intention in capture strange and emotional aspects rising through the register of the camera. The film stays in place in between Sean Penn's Into the Wild (2007) and works like Silent Light (2007) or Syndromes and a Century (2006). But the film don't exploit that place in between in order to extract some aesthetical potential, what would have been interesting if he had built the film in that way: exploring the zones of interference between aesthetization of the image and non interference in camera's register.

That problem is a constant in Felipe Barbosa's filmography.

What I point in Felipe Barbosa's filmography is a constant problem present in other contemporary filmographies manifested by different forms, in the works of directors like Xavier Dolan, Esmir Filho, Luca Guadagnino for example. The pressure of efficiency. This happens when the director hushes to reach a result of the aesthetical experience intended by his/her film. So he/her detours of the inicial aesthetical proposal of his/her film in order to built images that rapidly, easily and in a too given way provokes certain sensation or emotion. He/her forgets to explore and to extract in every single sequence, in every single shot of that sequence, the especifics aspects that his/her expression brings through his/her particular aesthetical proposal.

That problem keeps the Gabriel e a Montanha in a place close to travel documentary shows that we watch in television.

The main character is very annoying. He pretends to be a local while believing himself to be superior to everyone around him. I hate western travellers who adopt a bohemian lifestyle for what seems to be vanity. Gabriel doesn't really care about his other people. His journey is all for his benefit. The director ponders his life and why his friend died and I think the truth is that Gabriel was selfish and arrogant and killed himself. I was so pleased when his girlfriend woke up to how annoying he is, and left knowing she didn't want to see him again. Her acting was very natural. Well acted but a very annoying film. Wealthy white arrogant immature boy goes to Africa to take selfies. One takeaway for me is that I hope I don't fall into this cliche if I partake in further extended travels.

Main character, Gabriel, travels through Africa. The opening sequence of the film is beautiful, stunning. The film starts with the discovery of his body; therefore his death, the fact that you know he will die on an African mountain looms over the rest of the film. Gabriel is played well, the viewer gets to know all sides of his personality. He tries to avoid 'tourist traps' and travel as cheap and sustainable as possible, making contact and blending in with the locals. The visit of his girlfriend adds an interesting element to the film in my opinion, their relationship and (how her presence influences) his travels provide food for thought.

Authentic, a lot of the characters (seem to) play themselves, multiple languages are used and I believe it was shot in the original locations.

However, it felt very long for 127 minutes, some conversations and scenes are just tedious. I felt like there was too much dialogue at times, balance was lost here and there. But overall a very beautiful film which does a good job and capturing the essence of backpacking and the challenges a traveller faces.

Highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys films such as Into The Wild.