Brazilian director Fellipe Barbosa’s second feature is an unusual hybrid of documentary and drama, re-creating the last 10 weeks in the life of his prep school classmate Gabriel Buchmann, who was traveling through Africa in 2009 before starting studies at UCLA—and died alone, at the foot of Mount Mulanje, which he had just climbed (his body was not discovered for 19 days). Barbosa went to great lengths to find locals who Buchmann interacted with during his journey through Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, and Malawi, and then had the non-professionals re-enact their conversations with actor João Pedro Zappa (playing Gabriel) in the places they occurred. Barbosa also re-created the time that Buchmann spent with his girlfriend Cristina (Caroline Abras), who shared one leg of the trip with him. The portrait the director draws of his friend is mostly very affectionate: Zappa has a broad smile and open-hearted manner, and he captures the easygoing rapport that Gabriel developed with the locals. At the same time Buchmann is not presented as a plaster saint; he has a temper, argues with one of his guides and Cristina, and refuses to take advice, indicating an arrogant streak that might have played a role in his death (he was warned not to climb Mulanje with so little daylight remaining, but ignored it). Reinforced with Buchmann’s actual photographs, excerpts from his letters, and reminiscences about him, this is both an intriguing travelogue and a fascinating character study. Recommended. (F. Swietek)
Gabriel and the Mountain
Strand, 132 min., in Portuguese, English & French w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $27.99, Oct. 16 Volume 33, Issue 6
Gabriel and the Mountain
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