‘Mother Mountain’ explores Indigenous mother-daughter relationships

Loosely weaving together strands of spiritually, Mother Mountain is a tapestry of mother-daughter relationships, often troubled and sometimes toxic. All under the formidable shadow of Gulaga, Mother Mountain.

Deftly incorporating Judaism and Aboriginal beliefs, director Celina Stang’s semi-autobiographical film portrays Selene, mother of pre-teen Shani and little Marco, and husband Dean, as they settle into a new life on New South Wales’ South Coast after moving from Sydney. Selene is a bit of a mess, emotionally stunted, unpredictable, and prone to getting lost in her own internal turmoil. Dean is an international businessman, deeply in love with her but imperfect; their son Marco is a little cutie but lost in the goings-on.

For this is chiefly a story about women and the heritage of generational tragedy: Selene, grandchild of Holocaust survivors and daughter to an embittered woman, and the Aboriginal community of the area, survivors of the Stolen Generation, some of whom found safe haven on Gulaga. Shani becomes friends with Ren, a young Aboriginal classmate, and his and Shani’s parents also become friends. By coincidence, Selene has been working on a trawler boat owned by Ren’s father Jonas, where she has never never felt such freedom since her teenage time on a kibbutz.

A strong cast including veteran and emerging Australian and Aboriginal-Australian actors, lends a calm sense of gravity and vulnerability, occasionally interspersed with humour. Composer Julien Marchal’s soundtrack gives a sweet and haunting depth that broadens the tone of the overall work.

It’s a challenging conceit, to bring together Judaic and Aboriginal spirituality, but director Stang does so with gentle wisdom and grace. Local Aboriginal communities were consultants on Mother Mountain, and no filming was made on the sacred Gulaga Mountain.

★★★ ½