REVIEW: ‘Gabriel’ journeys up the mountain
Photo: João Pedro Zappa stars in Gabriel and the Mountain, a new movie from filmmaker Fellipe Barbosa. Photo courtesy of Strand Releasing / Provided with permission.
Gabriel and the Mountain, the new movie from director Fellipe Barbosa, is a touching and powerful portrait of a young man traveling through various communities in Africa and trying to learn about the world. Gabriel (João Pedro Zappa) refuses to take the tourist route when on safari, when visiting large metropolitan cities or when climbing mountains. Instead, he prefers to travel like a local and make deep connections to people on the road.
The travelogue movie is bolstered by the central performance of Pedro Zappa. The actor imbues the title character with enough charm, kindness and occasional immaturity to make him believable and heartfelt. The audience is quickly won over by this man who will not compromise his core beliefs as he visits with strangers and overcomes many obstacles.
Gabriel prefers to walk around villages, often with a local leading the way, and interact with the children, the men, the women and the general vibe of the town. He prefers to share beds, tables and cigarettes with the adults who help him, and he rarely spends money.
The people he meets are expertly played by a wide cast of actors, including John Goodluck, Alex Alembe and Luke Mpata, among others.
Gabriel has a few important adventures he would like to accomplish, but his itinerary is open and negotiable. He hires a local man to help him to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, and he also employs the aid of a truck driver to bring him many miles down the road. Each time he wins over the stranger with a nice smile and genuine interest in the person’s life and livelihood.
Gabriel’s curiosity and youthful angst may come from his age, or his upbringing in Brazil or his pending admission to a prestigious college in the United States. He’s at the right time in his life to explore and not worry about the trappings of careers and commitments.
The one steady presence in his life is his girlfriend, Cristina (Caroline Abras). She meets him halfway along the journey and has a similar free spirit. They spend long days on the beach, travel by cheap public transportation and engage with locals on a personal level. When she leaves to head back home, Gabriel is upset and misses her, but it seems his calling is deeper and not finished yet.
Some may say Gabriel, who is based on a real life person, is naive and even childish — perhaps with a similar to Christopher McCandless in Into the Wild. For example, there are times when he doesn’t get what he wants, and he almost stamps his feet in disgust. But at the center of his being is a true desire to discover the world and its people. When he journeys through Malawi, Tanzania and other parts of Africa, he brings his identity as a Portuguese-speaking Brazilian with him, but his conversations often turn to questions about his hosts. He wants to know about their own adventures, and by listening to them talk, Gabriel’s own journey becomes that much more fulfilling.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Gabriel and the Mountain (2018), directed by Fellipe Barbosa, stars João Pedro Zappa and Caroline Abras. Written by Barbosa, Kirill Mikhanovsky and Lucas Paraizo. Running time: 131 minutes. In Portuguese, English and French with English subtitles. Rating: 
Played as part of Cinema Tropical and the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s third-annual Neighboring Scenes series, and Verão in New York: A Summer of Brazilian Cinema.
