Seattle Film Festival Favorite: “Mountain Boy”
“It hurts me to make eye contact with people. The eyes convey so many emotions, and I feel them all.” So explains Suhail, the young protagonist of the remarkable new film Mountain Boy, an official feature selection at the Children’s Film Festival Seattle.
Suhail’s discomfort around people and his keen ability to perceive the world around him, make him different but also allow him to survive in the harsh desert environs. As a person with autism, he prefers animals to people. His mother died in childbirth, and his father’s sorrow and rejection drove him away to survive alone in the remote mountains of Fujairah (United Arab Emirates).
When Suhail rescues a lost girl named Moza, her family and village adopt this boy who is uniquely sensitive to the world around him. Moza accepts Suhail for who he is and becomes his best friend. Her family warmly accepts him as well. But soon, the restless Suhail decides that he must travel to Abu Dhabi to find his mother’s family. All he has left from her is a luminous Danah pearl. With the help of the people he meets, this pearl provides all he needs to get there.
Suhail embarks on his epic journey on foot with his graceful and steadfast dog Barakah (an Arabian Saluki). Incredibly, no one questions his ability to travel the long distance on his own, and he proves that his special abilities can take him anywhere. It’s fabulous but strangely believable that one boy could take on so much!
His destination is the port of Abu Dhabi, where he hopes a trader can decipher the exact origins of his mother’s pearl. As he travels, Suhail learns to navigate the world of people and trust in their help. Despite his fears, he rides in a car and a boat for the first time, helps an oasis village locate a new source of fresh water, helps a ship’s captain find the best fishing, and generally learns that his abilities are valuable to others. The people (mostly men) that he meets, respond with understanding and kindness, and he finds his place.
This is a truly all-ages, coming-of-age film revealing a world mostly unknown in the West.
The visuals are expansive and stunning, thanks to the craft of cinematographer Denson Baker: he skillfully portrays the sweeping vistas of Fujairah’s unspoiled desert and mountains, the vibrant green of the sea contrasting with the ochre of Suhail’s sleeve as he skims his hand over the water, and the bustling sights and sounds of the marketplaces of Al Ain and Abu Dhabi.
A mostly female filmmaking team created Mountain Boy. Zainab Shaheen directed the story (based on Dr. Michele Ziolkowski’s children’s book trilogy The Boy Who Knew the Mountains). Shaheen is the first Emirati female filmmaker to screen her work at an international festival. Her company, Fujairah Films, worked with Nancy Paton of Desert Rose Films and Meredith Brett of Flying Tiger Entertainment to produce it.
Suhail’s story will resonate with families. Kelsey Brigel and her two young children viewed Mountain Boy with delight.
“This film opened up new worlds for us all. We followed Suhail along on his journey as if we were traveling with him. My kids loved all of the animals and were enthralled at how he found his way and how he found helpers all along his way. We’re still talking about Suhail and his dog Baharat, and we wonder what’s next for him.”
Mountain Boy is enthralling and revelatory. Watch for it at a film festival near you.
Highly recommended *****.
View the trailer HERE, and learn more at: https://filmfreeway.com/MountainBoyUAE .
Note: If you would also like to review Mountain Boy, send a request to holden@ebcoms.com