Too many fans seem to be blown away

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

GABRIEL AND THE MOUNTAIN is based on the true story of Brazilian student Gabriel Buchmann played by Joao Zappa) who takes a year off to hike in Africa before continuing his education in 2009. After a brief prologue, we pick up Gabriel's trip about two months before it's scheduled end (the movie is broken down into four chapters: Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and Malawi). In Tanzania, Gabriel greets his Brazilian girlfriend Cristina (Caroline Abras) and she remains for the Zambian portion of the story. While Cristina's presence give the movie some background into Gabriel, it conversely, also impedes the progress of it. The Kenya and Malawi chapters are interesting as they depict Gabriel exploring alone and having to make friends with the locals he meets along the way. Boyfriend and girlfriend stories are commonplace. Further, the couple end up visiting tourist sites - again, a diminution of the tale's exploration theme. Abras is good in the role, but it smacks of the commercial needs of the filmmakers over their artistic ones. What's most interesting about the movie is Director Fellipe Barbosa's decision to use the actual people Gabriel met along the way to play themselves, with a couple of exceptions*. While not professional performers, it gives the movie a verisimilitude above and beyond the norm. Barbosa also has the people do voice-overs of their present day feelings for Gabriel, a decade later. It's an interesting device, even if takes some getting used to (one is reminded of Terence Malick's recent work). The Voice-overs and the Chapters are intended to give the movie a structure, but, it isn't fully satisfying. We never get a true sense of the full year-long journey. Gabriel himself is depicted as a prickly, selfish sort. One gives the Barbosa credit for not making him into a saint, but, it can be difficult to fully identify with him, or his adventure. Ultimately, one feels a bit frustrated - much like Gabriel's trip itself. * The main exception is Cristina, his girlfriend. Understandable, considering the circumstances.

Many of the characters in this film were people that Gabriel met on his real life journey. Recreating a dramatic story might have led to a film that glorifies 'the victim' or that leads to a flat depictions of characters and events. But, not in this one. Gabriel is complex character who can be selfish and selfless, naive and expert, conventional and unpredictable. It is not another 'Into the Wild', first of all, because it is set in Africa and addresses cultural differences and economic inequality. Furthermore, Gabriel does not break his social ties. Sharing experiences is important to him.

Young sustainable traveler student João Pedro Zappa works his way through interchangeably scenic African countries, with the aid of interchangeably affable African locals. The fact that the lead is a plausibly non movie star type is an asset and, when he links up with his equally unglamorous lady friend and they bicker about missing out on the bunji jumps between romantic interludes, attention picks up for a while. Some added impact from the photos of the real traveler who lost his life on this excursion (they tell you that in the opening scene) but this one is a very long 127 minutes.I didn't like INTO THE WILD enough to want to revisit it.

28th STOCKHOLM INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL. DAY 3, NOV 10th 2017. "Gabriel and the Mountain" (Gabriel e a montanha) (2017) had its Swedish premiere at the festival on Nov 9th.‪Backpacking captured. If Lonely Planet was a film, it would be "Gabriel and the Mountain" (2017) by Brazilian director Fellipe Barbosa.‬‪Like travelling. For real. You're there with Gabriel, walking beside him on the slopes of Kilimanjaro, Tanzania or trekking to reach the Sapitwa peak, talking with same people, kissing his girlfriend, jumping from the cliff by a waterfall, drinking wine on a beach in Zanzibar.‬