The film is about a young girl named Sam seeking to reconnect with her Māori culture with the help of her friends Mallory and Bronco.

The three children take an unofficial route to Mount Taranaki which involves navigating through a golf course, farmland, and a rickety rope bridge.

Bronco later uses his bush skills to build a camp fire and tells his friends about a Māori legend about the origins of Mount Taranaki.

After getting lost walking in circles, Mallory and Bronco convince Sam that Mount Taranaki is trying to tell her that she does not need to climb to the summit in her weakened condition.

House explained that mountains were significant to Māori culture, describing them as "ancient living ancestors who have shaped and formed our identity, belonging and connection to each other.

The mountain and its surrounding peaks were granted legal personhood in 2023 under the name Te Kāhui Tupua by the New Zealand Government as redress for their confiscation in 1866.

[5][6] The film featured the acting debuts of three child actors: Elizabeth Atkinson (Sam), Reuben Francis (Mallory) and Terence Daniel (Bronco).

[7] House made the deliberate decision to cast 11 year old actors, stating during an interview with The Spinoff that it was the age "just before they were about to kind of move into being rangatahi (teenagers) while they still have their ability to believe in magic, for want of a better word."

Several cast and crew members including Rachel House, Terence Daniel, Elizabeth Atkinson, Reuben Francis, Troy Kingi, Sukena Shah and Desray Armstrong also attended the premiere.

Liam Maguren of Flicks gave a positive review, praising Rachel House for "crafting a distinctly New Zealand film centred on kids that young audiences can latch onto while also telling a story with enough substance to affect anyone of any age."

He also praised the performances of Elizabeth Atkinson, Reuben Francis, Terence Daniel, Sukena Shah, Fern Sutherland, Byron Coll and Troy Kingi.

[10] Carol J. Paewai of Hawke's Bay Today gave a positive review, describing The Mountain as "a funny, moving and thought-provoking New Zealand film that showcases up-and-coming actors."

[11] Milli Banbury of "Kiwi Kids News" gave a positive review, describing the movie as a "cinematic marvel, of a human connection and ancestral reverence."

Banbury described each of the three protagonists grappling with personal "mountains" of their own including Sam's cancer, Mallory's grief from losing his mother and Bronco dealing with his busy father.