
The Girl on the Mountain, 2022
Jack (Daniel O'Reilly) lives in the wilderness following the tragic death of his daughter, for which he blames himself. One day he crosses paths with a mute girl, Aria (Makenzie Sconce) who is on the run from her mother's psychopathic boyfriend, Big Al (DT Carney).
This is a very by-the-numbers thriller, in a familiar model of "emotionally distant adult cares for child". Nothing in this movie will surprise anyone who has seen this type of thriller before, but it's not a bad variation on the theme.
The main positive of the movie is the solid rapport between O'Reilly and Sconce. On one hand, their scenes together are almost too chipper at times, happily romping around the mountain, fishing and hiking. It strains a bit of belief that a child who had witnessed and experienced serious abuse would so quickly trust a strange man. But the scenery in the film is really lovely, and the joy that the characters take in the wilderness feels genuine.
The downsides to the film are what you'd expect with a low-budget effort. Some of the acting is a bit spotty. There were a few plot points---especially around the death of Jack's daughter---that are handled a bit sloppily. It's frustrating when mediocre writing pulls down sequences of a movie, and that happens a few times: convenient plot points, unbelievable character actions, etc.
Not great, not bad. A way to pass an easy 90 minutes.