The Father Who Moves Mountains (2021) User Reviews

Tata muta muntii degeaba

[nutzky · 6/10 · 17 September 2021]

It's hard to watch this movie because it reminds me of our depressing and corrupt society where a$%holes with money and connections get special treatment... and in this particular case it was for nothing.

It would have been nice to get a bit of closure at the end as well, for example they could have written that the body was found by a tourist half a year later.

When they run out of budget before the ending

[boself · 7/10 · 21 September 2021]

... Said my 12 year old son when the movie ended. This movie is very well made, beautifully acted, cinematography amazing, but.... absolutely horrible story and main character. You just can't believe a human being can be this arrogant and selfish. I understand the ending, it just doesn't do justice to the movie nor does it respect the time the viewer invested in it. Warming: this movie is not about a heroic rescue mission, but about a horribly selfish man.

Update: I gave the movie 2 stars because of how annoying the ending is. But this doesn't do justice to the acting, production and deeper layers of this story. The fact I was disappointed in the ending and in the main character, does not justify giving this well made movie 2 stars. This was not a bad movie. It was just not what I was expecting or what I wanted to see.

The first Romanian movie I see

[DogePelis2015 · 6/10 · 8 October 2021]

It's a decent movie on Netflix and it doesn't deserve a bad reception from audiences; the plot is decent and the cinematography is excellent; Romanian cinema has a lot of potential.

Total waste of time

[hankchrader · 1/10 · 19 September 2021]

I can t believe i wasted 1h48 minutes of my time watching this so called movie and waiting for the end like an idiot , it s so disappointing to watch .

Ignore the reviews, this is a very well-made movie

[neamtioana1 · 14 October 2022]

I'm not sure whether the reviews on this page are written by frustrated Romanians or if they're written by foreigners. Either way, it's hard to understand the abysmal ratings, this was a very well-made movie inspired by true events (if you live in Romania you should know about it, it was quite a while ago), great acting (Adrian Titieni is a wonderful actor who's been in numerous great movies), and awesome cinematography. It's one of the few Romanian films that feel like they were produced somewhere else. How can you be annoyed at the ending, when it's a real-life ending, I just don't get it. But hey I guess Marvel movies are more entertaining, you don't have to really use your brain at all. Stick to those movies next time instead of trying to ruin this movie with unwarranted bad reviews.

What would you do

[kosmasp · 7/10 · 29 September 2021]

The english title is kind of a giveaway - to be fair, I don't think you'd expect any different. The mood is set from the start and the cinematography is quite stunning. Of course for some this may feel a bit long. The pace and things happening are quite slow. But you'll either dig it or just find it annoying.

Acting is decent enough and if you go with the flow, the drama will get to you one way or another. That doesn't mean you have to agree with everything the (main) character(s) are doing. Still there is enough suspense to keep you invested until the very end - even if it may be a bit too long ...

Terrible Movie.

[comedyoferrrors · 1/10 · 19 September 2021]

This is one of the worst movies I have ever seen. I would say spoilers if there was any plot to begin with. Essentially, some bozo loses his son, acts extremely inconsiderate to everybody to find him, and doesn't find him in the end. The photography is beautiful, but the scriptwriting is horrible, and there's nothing good about it. The ending is unsatisfying, there's barely a plot, there's no events, a bunch of unnecessary drama where they repeat nonsense over and over again, and just a complete mess of direction. This shoes the degrading of the quality of Netflix. Do not watch, unless you have terrible taste.

It's not about the search and rescue

[michal-robinson · 7/10 · 4 February 2022]

This film is about learning to appreciate what we take for granted and living with what we can't control. If you are looking for some feeling of redemption, you'll have to bring a shovel and a fine-tooth comb.

Romanian corruption idealised...

[georgescucris · 1/10 · 18 September 2021]

How the Romanian secret service can be used if you have the right (corrupt) connections. And also how they see themselves as hero's. And how other life's doesnt matter.

The weird thing about this film is that it doesn't condemn the way things go, but rather idealizes it. It really is the way it goes in Romania.

I really thought/hoped the movie was about values and morals but it really is about power and selfishness.

I loved the movie! Feeling homesick!

[amdobrescu · 7/10 · 22 September 2021]

I'm Romanian born ! So perhaps I'm a little biased?🤷‍♀️ I loved it ! It made me homesick! And yes it was different but as a parent I relate to everything in the movie! Most of all I understood the quilt of the father! Divorce and new marriage new child. Romanian people clearly have a different angle in the movies. Perhaps deeper subject! I was disappointed with the end at first... but it's clearly what any father should have done! .. never give up !Great movie guys! I'm so proud! Looking forward for more !

Mediocre in every possible aspect

[Ladiloque · 3/10 · 17 September 2021]

Fatherhood? Sense of duty? Hubris? Selfishness? Stubborness? Stupidity? I despise most of the behaviours/feelings displayed by the main character but I'm not sure this is why I just disliked the movie.

Trying to dig a little deeper: what was the author's intention? It's not an action movie, not a good thriller, not even a decent drama. The director neither praises neither condemns what he shows, as if trying to be objective, yet it's not a documentary at all (even if it is a supposedly "true" story).

10 minutes total of scattered dialogues depict sufficiently all the relevant things the movie can offer: parenthood shortcomings, fears, and sense of guilt; getting old; the corruptive/corrupted nature of people. The rest is time annoyingly wasted: we are mostly offered nearly 2 hours of a desperate idiot with a certain power that other people second out of pity/duty/interest.

And BTW I wonder what kind of winter storms they had in that year to render mountains of 2000-2500m so impossibly dangerous...

Honest approach to Romanian corruption with genuine acting

[feelme-touchme · 10/10 · 22 September 2021]

Truly a 7.5 movie, but your negative reviews made me give it a 10.

I am quite surprised by all the negative reviews of this movie, as I am very picky and consider most of the Romanian movies too unreal, lacking the portrayal of real Romanians.

Here you have it, Romanians. All characters here are real people in the Romanian society and if you don't think so: you are lying to yourself.

I am a person who loves introspection and movies which underline certain personal dilemmas. The main character should be analysed in depth by the transformation he suffers during the movie. This movie is all about him. His feelings during this quest.

I think people didn't really get the movie nor the end. Just by the fact that he was able to tell those people to go save the other man, or his final cry for help in going in that frenzy while digging... it's a big deal for the man who did not want to see anything else but his truth.

I recommend it for the honest portrayal of Romanian society with amazing cinematography and acting! Bravo!

A contextual character study

[bones-35 · 6/10 · 25 September 2021]

This movie explores the characters - their motivations, flaws and faults, against the backstory of their children going missing in the mountains.

Loyalty, connections, stubbornness, grief, are all displayed.

You may not sympathize with the characters, but you can empathize with - what would you do?

Waste of time

[dfw2361 · 2/10 · 19 September 2021]

I hate getting to the end of the movie and realize that the only thing that was accomplished was that I wasted 1:49 of my life staring at a story that went nowhere. There is no redemption of the main character. There is no miraculous recovery of the lost hikers. There is not even selfless humanity displayed when another hiker is lost and the main character selfishly denies any ability to assist. This may have been based on a true story, but why was it made into a film?

Boring

[danimredessociales · 3/10 · 17 September 2021]

A father who uses public means of the state to his advantage to rescue his son lost in the mountains.

Amazing scenery and a father's grim determination

[sue-06239 · 7/10 · 16 March 2022]

Firstly, the father is not a nice man. A wealthy man, used to getting what he wants to get things done - often by using bribes. However, in his determination to find his son and his girlfriend, at first alive then, when hope has gone, to find their bodies, has to be admired. After exhibiting arrogant, blinkered and selfish behaviour throughout, he does finally redeem himself somewhat by thinking of the plight of someone else instead of his own, making him more humble.

The cinematography is gorgeous and for me this was the first Romanian film I'd seen, so something different.

Warning - the end will frustrate some as there is no answer given. However, you can find out what happened using an Internet search, as I have done, as this is based on true story.

How abuse of power makes you a hero

[ale_wild_pussycat1992 · 1/10 · 21 September 2021]

The story of a dad trying to rescue his son, by abusing his power as a boss of the secret service and making a team of people working on it instead of doing their actual job. The sad part is that this is really a thing in Romania and it makes me sick that this movie glorifies absue of power. This together whith corroption is so deeply entrenched in this nation and people should stop accepting it and by no means normalize or even depict it as a heroic act.

the STASI is still in power

[crazvy · 6/10 · 19 September 2021]

They just changed their name, and boy do they like to give orders and have obedience from the slaves.

Pretty poor acting... just watched it for the scenery and mountain rescue activities.

Not bad movie, though..

[petertomcik · 4/10 · 17 September 2021]

I wonder how it comes that the official intelligence service is involved in a private matter. It's a little embarrassment of Romanian democracy with the implication to corruption, isn't it?

Gripping

[mrwildgoose · 6/10 · 22 September 2021]

You go through a range of emotions yourself as you alternately identify with and alienate yourself from the lead character. Great performances from everyone, and the understated soundtrack adds to the sombre mood of the movie.

Perhaps the message of the movie is about how our trials and trauma can eventually humanise us, and make us kinder.

Supposedly about a real event, movie fails to deliver

[gliderguy · 1/10 · 18 September 2021]

A father goes nuts searching for his missing son and girlfriend. He calls a favor and brings in specialized search and rescue. Bottom line: neither is found and the movie leaves you hanging. In reality, their bodies were recovered the next spring. The father leaves you with a very heavy distaste of how obsessive fathers behave (to the point of ignoring another mother's pleas for help) and you end up rooting against the asshole. Skip this piece of crap - it is a total waste of your time.

True story, it will move you

[tigermcs · 10/10 · 17 September 2021]

Since this movie does not have a proper ending note so let me tell you that body of the young Andrei Jora, who disappeared together with his girlfriend, in November 2008, on the Jepii Mici route, from the Bucegi Mountains, was found in June 2009 , being brought to the surface by a flood.

Rescue team declared that the young man, who was caught by the avalanche, remained under the snow, and at this time of year under the snow layer dislocated by the avalanche, the water starts to work, which brought the corpse to the surface.

The mountain rescuers who went to recover Andrei Jora's lifeless body searched in the same area for the body of his friend, who also disappeared with Andrei, but did not find her, in that area the snow reaching, in some places, a few meters height.

Andrei Jora and his girlfriend were stuck, on November 26, 2008, on the Jepii Mici route, from the Bucegi Massif. When they saw that they could not advance or return, the two asked for the help of mountain rescuers through the National Mountain Rescue Dispatcher. Shortly after the call to the Dispatch Office, tourists could no longer be contacted on their mobile phones. Subsequently, the mountain rescuers found out the man's mobile phone number, they called that number but no one answered.

After the disappearance of the two dozen mountain rescuers, they searched for their bodies for days, the rescuers being helped by colleagues from Austria and by SRI, which moved special equipment for detecting mobile phones in the area, but the search remained without result.

Interesting

[mattias_fr · 6/10 · 20 February 2023]

Had this been a Hollywood production he would have found his son alive, carried him down the mountain on his back to be welcomed by massive applause upon the return. Luckily, this is not a Hollywood film. Rather a narrative on, in a specific situation, what power and corruption could look like in non-democratic countries where men in power use state resources and property as if it were their private possessions. But it also poses the question what you yourself would do in the exact same position. If you have the opportunity to use public means to try and save your child, would you not take it?

Started well

[lasseman59 · 3/10 · 19 September 2021]

Had no major expectations for this film. Felt okay at first but then I just got more and more pissed.

People with money can do exactly what they want and mainly think of themselves. I also think that it is quite possible even in today's Romania. The whole world used to know how corrupt this country was. Do not think it has changed much. The film does not give a good impression of today's Romania.

But ... people with money can almost always do what they want ... regardless of country.

Main character is a jerk

[moggie48-380-319572 · 4/10 · 9 October 2021]

The father may be rich and powerful but he's a selfish, entitled, bully who is unpleasant to watch.