The documentary Up on the Mountain, by Olivier Matthon and Michael Reis, tells the story of a diverse group of Southeast Asian refugees, Latino immigrants, and white Americans who harvest wild mushrooms for a growing number of restaurants and buyers. But despite the sustainability of their harvest, these independent workers are repeatedly denied access to public lands. Set in the mountains of Montana, Idaho, and Oregon, this quietly beautiful film features immersive scenes with strong sound design that engages audiences and asks them to question the inequities when it comes to natural resources policies, as well as those who enforce them.
From the opening scenes of dark green ferns, followed by a gorgeously back-lit, golden chanterelle mushroom, I was pulled in.
The story features mushrooms from chanterelles to the elusive, yet highly sought-after morels. Woven into scenes of fungi being harvested, we begin to learn more about the reasons why so many communities have come to depend on them as an income. We meet people like David and Aloune Thepsomphou, refugees from Laos who came to the US as seafood harvesters in Alaska for five dollars an hour. After a year, their pay increased by a mere 0.35 cents. Now, as mushroom harvesters, they have traded stability for the promise of higher pay, as long as the mushroom harvest is good.
Or Francisco, who spent grueling hours working on a farm.
The harvesters set up campsites to pick mushrooms for a few days. Once they’ve picked enough, they will pitch tents along the side of the road to sell.
What David and Aloune (as well as many others) have to contend with is how the Forest Service rangers seem intent on stopping them from harvesting. Meanwhile, they allow loggers to work freely without restrictions.
For people like Francisco and his friends, there is also the threat of deportation. It becomes clear that the Forest Service has agreed to work with Immigration. Later, we learn that the two forces raided a camp and arrested nine harvesters, then detained them for 8 hours. One of the people arrested was a pregnant woman.
The film also features another story, where a week before the mushroom season opened, a Laotian buyer arrives with a group of Asian and Latino pickers. Several days later, the Forest Service confiscated all of the mushrooms, then tried to sell them to other buyers.
Though the reason cited is that it was “out of commercial season”, they also stated that because of “cultural differences”, they were trying to prevent the group of harvesters from littering.
Another woman who was drying and selling mushrooms had a thousand pounds confiscated (a value of about 1,500-16,00 dollars). She was reported as being “mushroom poaching”. However, the Forest Service refused to be interviewed for the documentary and had no body camera footage of the arrest due to an “issue with an external drive”.
Another reason often offered for restricting mushroom harvesters is to prevent over-picking, but many experienced sources have attested to the fact that it’s a sustainable practice.
Though the rangers say they are willing to allow mushroom pickers, the rules over who should have access to public land are not always clear. They allow refugees to purchase permits to pick, then make it difficult for these workers to make a livelihood.
It’s clear that because mushroom pickers don’t fit a certain image, they are held to a different standard in the Forest Service and Border Patrol’s eyes. Though fungi provide a viable livelihood for refugees, they are also facing a daily battle for their freedom.
Up on the Mountain is an understated, yet beautiful tale that educates viewers about mushrooms and the harsh realities of the politics surrounding the harvesting, in a subtle manner that doesn’t hit you over the head. This documentary would be perfect for library programming seeking to educate those learning more about mycology and social and political issues in the agricultural world. Audiences would be surprised to learn how the Forest Service appears to be pushing anti-immigration policies. This film would also make a great outdoor screening for social justice programming and anyone who loves mushrooms.