The story of Donn Fendler has captivated readers for years, with many being enthralled by his accounts of being a young boy who went hiking with his father and two brothers on Mount Katahdin in the late 1930s, but somehow found himself separated from the group, leading to nine gruelling days in the wilderness of Maine, forced to endure the freezing temperatures and dangerous terrain while his family and the rest of the town frantically searched for him, expecting the absolute worst based on the knowledge that even the most seasoned of outdoorsmen would find the conditions beyond treacherous. His story was contained in his memoirs Lost on a Mountain in Maine, which has become almost essential reading for entire generations of young people, his resilience and dedication to make it out alive being extremely inspirational. Surprisingly, it took nearly fifty years for someone to see the potential for his story as a film, especially since there have been many similarly-themed stories of survival that have made for terrific films. However, it turned out to be Andrew Boodhoo Kightlinger, in his directorial debut, who took the leap and embraced Fendler’s experiences in a film of the same title, following his exploits as he spent those few harrowing days in the wilderness, and doing his best to capture the spirit of his life, following his recollections as closely as possible while still making sure to infuse it with a sense of excitement and enthusiasm that had the potential to be something quite special. Unfortunately, the promise isn’t entirely matched by the final results, with Lost on a Mountain in Maine being quite a dull affair, lacking any of the energy that made the original novel so incredibly encapsulating, and struggling to be anything more than a mid-level adventure drama that aims for greatness but falls short even before it steps into the perilous territory that it is so insistent on conquering.

While it is a stretch to say it was written as such, there is a reason why Lost on a Mountain in Maine has always appealed to more conservative tastes, despite being mostly a neutral work that doesn’t have any investment in any political agenda. This is a book – and now a film – that focuses on an era where masculinity was not questioned, where every male had to endure the same trials and tribulations to prove their worth before they could “graduate” from being boys to men, and how this can backfire when someone dares to question the status quo. Perhaps it’s a slightly misguided reading, but the idea of Fendler deciding to rebel against the system represented by his straight-laced father and submissive brothers, and subsequently facing the punishment by being plunged into a hellish landscape in which his entire life is put in danger, is something that panders to a much more limited view of society, especially in terms of how young men are expected to act. The film is filled with comments on how “men used to be men” and how boys need to be fashioned into these idealistic images of masculinity to be considered viable members of society. It’s not clear how much of this was emphasised on purpose, or simply the result of Kightlinger not being aware of how much the story was supportive of very conservative, one-dimensional values, but it does find itself being defined by elements that feel hopelessly outdated, especially considering the story didn’t require such a bland, unconvincing perspective to be considered effective, signalling a laziness in the storytelling process that cannot be overlooked, especially considering the nature of the material and how it had the potential to be something far more special with just a little work.

There are many ways in which the film falters that don’t revolve around its misguided attempts to capture the spirit of the past. Primarily, we find that Kightlinger isn’t entirely sure of the right approach to take to tell this story, and I suspect quite a bit of impact was lost in the transition from the novel – which takes the form of a firsthand account of the protagonist’s experiences – and the film, particularly in how it consistently struggles to do anything particularly interesting with the material, instead choosing to be mostly straightforward, losing the nuances that emerge in the writing. The director is aware of this since he peppers in archival footage of Fendler himself (as a much older man) reminiscing on those experiences. That footage, which amounts to perhaps ten minutes on screen in total, is exponentially more compelling than absolutely anything contained within the film itself. The film simply lacks any real energy, and there’s nothing to excite the viewer – the peril and dangers are not given much focus, and far too much of it is spent trying to stir a reaction rather than allowing us to engage with the film organically, almost as if Kightlinger is attempting to force us to feel one particular way, which is rarely foundation for anything even vaguely captivating or artistically resonant. The filmmaking itself is beyond pedestrian throughout Lost on a Mountain in Maine, with the smaller budget not being utilised entirely well, and instead of being resourceful, the film cuts corners that are notable right from the very beginning. The aesthetic is drab and colourless and doesn’t capture even an ounce of the natural beauty of the region outside of a few expositionary moments at the start. All of this is tied together through an overwrought approach to the narrative that feels extremely obvious in some parts, and hopelessly overwrought in others.

Another obstacle this film had to face in the transition from page to screen is the process of characterization. Fendler wrote from his heart, and a lot of the impact of the original text comes from his recollections and observations, which feel deeply personal. Unfortunately, the film doesn’t do particularly well in defining him as a character, outside of the few moments when we hear from him through the archival footage. Luke David Blumm is enlisted to play the younger version of Fendler during his ordeal, and while he does his best, he cannot overcome the film’s refusal (whether intentional or not) to examine him as more than just a one-dimensional figure. There is very little energy behind this performance, and Blumm struggles to command the screen, particularly since there is far too much focus on the conditions he had to endure more than his fervent efforts to overcome the dangers into which he has unintentionally been thrust. Lost on a Mountain in Maine needed to put in much more effort as far as exploring the experiences of this character, which seemed to restrict to only the physical ordeal rather than the psychological elements that were just as interesting, if not even more compelling considering his survival was not only due to his training as a Boy Scout, but also his mental resilience, which is what makes the original book so inspiring. The supporting cast is used in an attempt to shade in the nuances of the story, but none of them are particularly good. Paul Spark undergoes the most bewildering of character shifts, starting as the stern and unforgiving patriarch, but ending as a meek and weather-beaten father – in theory, this shift does make sense considering he is essentially the catalyst for his son’s disappearance, but the writing is so poor, the shift between the two versions of the character feels tacky. Caitlin FitzGerald does her best to play the family matriarch, but she is also subjected to very bad character development that renders her nothing more than the embodiment of the “worrying mother” trope, despite the potential for a much more complex take on the character. A solid cast cannot compensate for the narrative deficiencies, and the film ultimately struggles to form any discernible identity as a result.

Lost on a Mountain in Maine is a profoundly disappointing film, not only in how it fails to do anything vaguely promising with its material but also in how it is more intent on pandering to the deep-seated conservative values embedded in the original book, rather than allowing any clear correlations with contemporary themes to be formed, creating a one-dimensional drama that never amounts to anything particularly special, instead being as limited and bland in practice as it seemed to be on the surface. It is an independent production, so some degree of praise is deserved for its efforts to tell this story on a smaller budget, but very little of that proves to be all that impressive, considering the filmmaking ultimately comes across as quite lacklustre, the visuals never managing to capture the splendour of the surroundings, and the period-specific details being unconvincing and forced. The characterization is equally as lacklustre, without any real sense of consistency in how these people are constructed, which ultimately amounts to a film that offers very little of value, choosing to be nothing more than a simple survival story, but without any real complexity outside of the obvious message of a young man deciding to rebel and finding himself forced to grow into a man much sooner than he expected, which had the potential to be quite profound, but ultimately doesn’t have any clear value after some time has progressed and we’ve spent enough time with the film to know that it isn’t doing much of value outside of telling this story through the most obvious methods imaginable. There is nothing all that compelling about Lost on a Mountain in Maine, which is disappointing considering its potential.