The Father Who Moves Mountains ending explained – will Mircea find his son? Finding a snowflake in a snow stack.
This article discusses the ending of the Netflix film The Father Who Moves Mountains, so it will contain spoilers.
Ready Steady Cut Film Critic, M.N. Miller, said The Father Who Moves Mountains, “…a gripping character study of obsession and redemption.”
No. He doesn’t. This is an ending explained article, so don’t cry about spoilers. The Father Who Moves Mountains is akin to Peter Weir’s classic, Picnic at Hanging Rock, a story about the mysterious disappearance of a high school student and a faculty member from an all-female school. They were never seen again. In Mountains, the film is similar. Now, trading in the sweaty Australian countryside and volcanic rock, we have a snow-covered mountain in Romania.
Mircea is an intelligence officer who the local police call to inform that his son and his girlfriend have gone missing. They were last seen heading to the mountain and using a trail closed off during the winter season. Why use the gondola? Where is the fun in that? He listens to a message from his son’s phone to emergency services. It’s the girlfriend, begging for someone to find them. They became lost on the trail. It’s a white-out. They only see a giant boulder and are pleased with the man on the other end of the line to use that as a marker. The phone then dies.
As the days pass, the nights grow darker and colder, and the snow piles meters high. Volunteers leave. Even the family of the missing girl. The rescue team at the resort and Mircea hires with his own money wants to call off the rescue operation. Hey, let’s wait for the snow to melt in the spring seems to be the thought process. This only engages Mircea further and senses his ex-wife Paula sobbing to the church.
Netflix film The Father Who Moves Mountains ending explained.
The final scene has Mircea going up the hill to keep shoveling at the area they triangulated. He has been digging there for months and has alienated everyone in the area. No one has any empathy for him anymore (which seems to be an indictment of where we are as a society). That’s until members of the rescue team see him in line, waiting to go up the hill for the 20th or so time.
As the four men reach their destination and begin another dig (where is Ralph Fiennes when you need him), they get a call that a tourist fell and broke his legs. These men are off duty, and Mircea insists they leave to help a man who has a better chance of survival than his missing son.
The men reluctantly leave. By just admitting this, Mircea seems to have found some closure or started a healing process that hasn’t entered his mind before. As he digs alone, that revelation may have been misinterpreted or forgotten by him. The final shot is him furiously digging at a speed and pace we haven’t seen from him before. As the film ends, we are never told what happens to his son or girlfriend. For sure, anyway. Or at least, where they perished.
What did you think of the ending of the Netflix film The Father Who Moves Mountains? Comment below.
Abrupt ending. But it’s based on a real story and the boy was found next June (when floods came).
That’s interesting. I ran a search and couldn’t find anything that detailed. I know he told the media that a new story inspired it while at the 24th Shanghai Film Festival.
Where can I read about the true story?
There hasn’t been much. He commented on the inspiration of Mountains while showing the film 24th Shanghai Film Festival. He said it was inspired by a news story he saw on television. If you run a search most articles are referring to that comment. This happens more often than you would think.
Watched it last night and it was a terrible ending… Worst I have ever seen in a movie… Could not stand the father at the end of movie, or even in the middle…
Stupid way to end a movie. Give the audience closure, even if they were never found.
Very interesting watch but the ending was not good.He should have comnected with his som again
Horrible ending.
We as Audience always expect the movie to end in Good or Bad…..neither was !!!!!!!!
Total waste of time, seriously.
After 10 minutes, I fast forwarded through an hour of “nothing is happening” to the last 5 minutes to see a worthless ending – it’s almost like the film crew went on strike, so they cobbled together a fade to black, he’s still digging, end. What a waste of cinema time.
I hated the ending, complete waist of time watching a film with no ending. It seems to happening more and more with films and drama series. If you ask me its lazy writing, the writers cant think, or cant imagine the ending so just leave it to our imagination. As I said its happening more and more with films, I’m getting a bit annoyed with it.
Awful ending ugh
A total waste of time and money by the producer. Instead he should hv fed some poor children in an orphanage or donated this mony to a charity
It wasn’t what I was expecting at all…and then the ending…I had to rewind and watch it again – what the heck happened? Not a damn thing…ugh. Waste of time…
Very awful ending I just got done with it few mins ago and I must say I expected something good or bad at least, it felt like I wasting my time on this.
A movie is for entertainment or information. This flic had neither. The only possible worse ending was a recently watched “PREY”. These two are easily in the top 10 worse movies I have ever seen. Awful.
Should have fast forward 6 months to give the family closer as well as the movie and ended it there. Having the dad go mad with digging is a scary bad ending.
Sad ending but realistic
A total waste of time and money by the producer, it is much better that you explain what happened to his son…
I think it’s atrocious ending. And it doesn’t say it’s based on a true story.
I think it’s a worthy one. A sight for sore eyes. A refreshing change from mainstream-ish, packed with special effects and obvious endings films. It’s meant to make the viewers think, contemplate, analyse, and perhaps even reflect on their lives as well. Movies are not simply made to entertain. Cinema is art, and art delivers a message. In this case, we see how an arrogant, selfish and full of himself man begins to show signs of empathy and compassion towards others, albeit through an agonising life lesson. I’d recommend it to those who love to have something to think about once the movie is over.
P.S. and spectacular views of course! No green screen, everything is real ? enjoy!
I think it’s a worthy one. A sight for sore eyes. A refreshing change from mainstream-ish, packed with special effects and obvious endings films. It’s meant to make the viewers think, contemplate, analyse, and perhaps even reflect on their lives as well. Movies are not simply made to entertain. Cinema is art, and art delivers a message. In this case, we see how an arrogant, selfish and full of himself man begins to show signs of empathy and compassion towards others, albeit through an agonising life lesson. I’d recommend it to those who love to have something to think about once the movie is over.
P.S. and spectacular views of course! No green screen, everything is real ? enjoy!
A total waste of time and money by the producer, it is much better that you explain what happened to his son…
Awful. Boring right until the end.
The ending was awful because there was no closure. You watch to the end only to have the credits roll on the exact same problem you started the movie with. Ugh…. at least show where he died trying or gave up to live for his other child… or the snow melted in spring or summer and they found the remains… something. But this ending wasn’t an ending.
I didn’t like the way it ended. Leaving viewers in such a suspense after watching for 2 hours is not fair at all. If I had known it would have ended like that, I’d not have bothered to watch it. Horrible ending. Though a nice movie.
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At least we aren’t left wondering if his son is dead or alive. We know he has passed away and we know the general area of where he is. They just can’t dig deep enough to find his body; however, we are left with hope that he might find his son in the spring when the snow melts. I liked the movie. It was very emotional and touching and I feel really bad for the people who’ve had to live through a tragedy like this.
It appears to me that the viewers are the lazy ones. Where is your imagination. Movies should be thought provoking; there to elicit meaningful conversation and this movie delivered. Writers should not try to tie everything up in a little bow for you. The characters were all complex as they were both bad and good; even the kids who were missing. We have enough flat-line lazy thinkers out there. It sparked a discussion in my household with a multitude of opinions and debates. It wasn’t the best movie I’ve seen but it served its purpose for us.
This ?
Basically this movie didn’t even have an ending it just stopped!!! I hate movies that do this. At least have enough respect for your audience being engaged for almost 2 hours to end your movie respectfully. Whether the ending is happy or tragic there still should be one!!!!! Reminded me of that long movie The Hunter with Willem Dafoe ANOTHER cerebral vascular accident….
Pathetic. I was bored on/off. But hung in there. Was hoping the last “find” was his son! Trickery for sure. And then to be left with no clue? I was watching it alone and when it ended abruptly I actually said outloud “You gotta be kiddin me!” What a waste of for my movie night! Long drawn out and I burnt my popcorn to boot!
Pathetic. I was bored on/off. But hung in there. Was hoping the last “find” was his son! Trickery for sure. And then to be left with no clue? I was watching it alone and when it ended abruptly I actually said outloud “You gotta be kiddin me!” What a waste of for my movie night! Long drawn out and I burnt my popcorn to boot!
It absolutely stunk. Obviously he was dead? But was he ever found. ?? My question. Crazy ending made me sad I’d even watched it. ?
Since it was loosely based on just a news story (So mostly fiction) they could’ve came up with a decent ending. So abrupt! What a waste of my time. Not thought provoking… if I want thought provoking I’ll watch a documentary. Better to watch the beautiful Amy Tan documentary again than waste time on this.
I did not like the ending however however it shows to what length a parent will go for their child…… Endlessly?
The end was a shock. Or should I say, “What end?” No closure .. I was quite disappointed.
To me there was only one outcome! Intel knew it had been way too long, rescue chief took his awards down, feeling as though he’d failed, Alina gave him just enough to send him up again…she’d had enough of him, X wife left, last trip up, digging furiously, takes off coat, hat, radio, puts on icy ledge, only one outcome, the man was broken, and would’ve shared same icy grave as his son because that trench would’ve become weak and imploded. Mircea knew it, was a,one way dig.
On giving it some thought, I felt the ending was entirely appropriate. The film’s theme was the stubborn devotion and love of a father for a son. The final scene was very moving because Mircea’s concern for saving the injured tourist proved he was sane and rational, but a man who loved his boy deeply despite a turbulent past. The final scene of him digging madly was truly tragic.
I completely agree with you. This is a character study, not a plot-heavy film.
A total waste of time. I was disgusted that I continued watching just waiting for something to happen.