The Last Mountain
By Sally Rubin

When the filmmaker's father died in a mysterious hiking accident, her family filled a box with the facts and information they had about his death, and packed it away. It remained stored in the basement for years, until she felt that she was ready to venture into the darkness and explore the meaning of what had happened, not only to her father, but to herself and to the entire family. The Last Mountain follows the filmmaker's quest to find out what her father was looking for and why he died. Nine years after his disappearance, she and her family return to the mountains, to the chilly site of his death, to explore, really for the first time, their own grief and anger.

The Last Mountain confronts death and its legacy head on. It addresses loss, grieving, the different ways that family members react to death, relations between fathers and daughters, parents and children, (and one daughter's courageous attempt to seek healing by removing the final mountain standing in the way of her recovery.)

23 minutes
© 2004
Purchase $189 VHS / Purchase $189 DVD
Order No. QA-437
ISBN (VHS) 1-57295-437-X
ISBN (DVD) 1-57295-823-5

Reviews
"Rubin's quiet and persistent vision explores more than her father's death, revealing both the psychology of family dynamics and her role as daughter and image-maker. A quietly courageous film that resonates inside the hearts of sons and daughters everywhere." Stephen Parr, San Francisco Media Archive

"Hit me like a Mack truck without brakes on a downhill grade. The filmmaker doesn't succumb to the maudlin; she is able to distinguish true sentiment from sentimentality." Marc Fields, Concord Academy/ Emerson University

Awards & Conference Screenings
American Psychological Association
Finalist, Angelus Awards, Los Angeles
Best Student Documentary, Fargo Film Festival
Wild and Scenic Film Festival
Mill Valley Film Festival
Girl Fest Film Festival
Boulder Adventure Film Festival
Western Psychological Association

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