Female Film Critics 24/375
Marriage, like life, is a complicated beast — and there often aren’t clear-cut answers and easy resolutions when things get messy. That compelling theme is the dynamic at the heart of Hilary Brougher’s intimate, poignant drama South Mountain, which follows Lila (Talia Balsam) over the course of a summer as her marriage crumbles and the world she knows shifts into new and discomforting directions.
Read more
Hillary Brougher’s South Mountain presents a portrait of a family that is teetering on the brink of dissolution amid the scenic splendor of the Catskill Mountains. In the end, Lila, the family matriarch, seems to be somewhat at peace even if she has picked up the habit of smoking. As Gloria Gaynor might say, she will survive.
Read more
South Mountain is about intimacy and human connection. The need to feel, something, anything, is uncontrollable. The audience experiences volatility through the screen. A line in the script pinpoints the overall feeling: “Where there is love, there’s a potential for violence.” The viewer is waiting for the pot to boil over at any moment.
Read more