The new film ‘Mountains’ looks at the beauty and challenges of the Haitian American experience
The World
Updated on
There is a proverb in Haitian Creole that says, “Beyond every mountain, there’s another mountain.” In other words, once you overcome one challenge, get ready because there’s going to be another one just beyond it.
That proverb sets the tone for “Mountains,” an independent film by Miami-based director Monica Sorelle, that’s playing now in select theaters across the United States.
It’s set in the Little Haiti district in Miami and centers on the character of Xavier, a middle-aged Haitian demolition worker who’s outgrown the home he shares with his wife and their Gen-Z son.
Atibon Nazaire stars as Xavier in “Mountains.” He spoke to The World’s Host Marco Werman about the film and how his own life relates to it.
Marco Werman: What drew you to the story in this particular film?
Atibon Nazaire: Its authenticity and necessity to present a Haitian story in beauty. Because, you know, Haiti has been in the news, right, for quite a few years now. And all of the news that you hear is not present. So, it was important for me to partake in this project to present the side of Haiti, or Haitian people that I know — a loving experience that I’m more familiar with than what is presented in the news. And it’s just a beautiful, loving journey that I wouldn’t pass as an actor.
And the people in this neighborhood of Little Haiti in Miami are closely tied to the nation of Haiti. Your character, Xavier, lives there. He wants to buy a new house, something more spacious. And the irony is that his own work is demolishing houses in Little Haiti in the name of gentrification. What is, kind of, the arc of how Xavier thinks about that through the movie?
Well, you know, Xavier, his vision is like any other immigrant, you know, work hard and live the American dream. And part of the American dream is to own a house, right? So, Xavier, in his quest for owning this house and to raise his family, what have you, finds himself doing this job, this particular job, as a demolition worker. He initially didn’t realize that part of his job was erasing his own community.
“Mountains” is also very much an immigrant story, and how one generation that arrived is aging while the kids have different expectations of this country. In your story, your character Xavier clashes with his son, Junior. Junior is in his early 20s. He’s smart but has dropped out of college, and he wants to be a comedian and leans into that immigrant experience for his stand-up routine.
I’ve got Haitian parents, man. It’s tough. It’s tough having immigrant parents because they tell the truth. They tell the truth. They’re not like American parents. Like when I was young, I used to play organized sports. And American parents, they were so nice to the kids. Didn’t matter how bad they were. They’ll be in a crowd, “Go, Eddie, go! We love you. We support you.” My dad will be in the crowd like, “Junior! You’re no good, man. This is not your thing. You have to go back home. Please.”
I mean, that’s a pretty funny bit. What do you hear in this clip of Junior doing comedy in the movie, though?
I hear a Haitian guy who has other dreams wants his child to be at the top of whatever he chooses to do from a very young age to an adult. They want us to be on top. They want us to be No. 1 all the time. And in that, you know, they can be very harsh. And it’s from love, it’s from love. It’s not just because they don’t like the child, you know, they just want their children to be successful.
I mean, as I said earlier, we’ve known each other for some time, but I don’t know that much about your own story of immigration. I mean, what stands out for you in your own story? Was there a generational divide, like what we see between Xavier and Junior?
Absolutely. I can relate to Junior a lot because I wasn’t to be an artist. I was to be a doctor. And to the dismay of my parents, Bohemia took the best of me, the arts to the best of me. And my mother, in particular, when upon seeing my friends successful as doctors, as engineers, as whatever, the choices that they’ve made were safe. As for me, I’m an artist, and it didn’t bode well with them because I’m struggling. But in my heart of hearts, the arts are what move me. Haiti, the beauty of Haiti, is what moves me. And a lot of it is the arts that Haiti gives us. So, my parents and I, we clashed a lot because of the choices that I’ve made.
One last thing about the film. There is this deep connection to Haiti in Little Haiti in Miami that we see through out “Mountains.” There’s a local radio station in Creole that tells the news of the country. When things heat up in Haiti, they say, they also heat up in Little Haiti. How do Haitians and Haitian Americans in the US process what’s happening back home at the same time they’re trying to stay focused on making it here.
It’s a challenge because Haiti is the fuel that moves us. It’s that food, it’s that nourishment that gives us life. And watching Haiti, the state that it is in right now, is painful, it’s heartbreaking. I find myself crying often, screaming because the madness is incessant, the madness does not stop. We’ve not had a break for years, just breathing as a human. Because my home — Haiti is my mother — my mother is in pain all the time, or rather, they are causing pain to my mother all the time. So, we are in pain. And collectively, we need some type of therapy, we need a respite.
Does your art, your acting, does that help to process some of the pain?
Absolutely. Luckily for me, ancestors imparted me with art, with music. As you know, I’m a drummer. So, drumming, and particularly drumming for my ancestors, helps me maintain my sanity.
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.
Related: Who was Toussaint L’Ouverture, the namesake behind Boston’s new Haitian cultural center?
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