FOREST HIGH Discovery

Belgian filmmaker Manon Coubia spent 10 years working seasonally as a mountain refuge keeper in the French Alps, a wealth of experience which imbues her debut feature film, a triptych of tales set in a mountain refuge across three seasons, with the greatest authenticity. Coubia’s cinematic rendering of life in this mountain waystation, which serves as an inn, café and a place to rest and recharge for all kinds of Alpine wanderers, alternates between dreamy and documentary-like moments, captured on texture-rich 16mm film. As if by sharing the filmmaker’s sense memories, the viewer is transported to this very specific place and the unique flow of time there. In the opening, spring-set story, young refuge keeper Anna (Salomé Richard) contemplates her final tour of duty before moving on to something new; a casual dalliance with birder Antoine (Arthur Marbaix), in search of the elusive capercaillie, spices up the season. In the busy summer, veteran Hélène (Aurélia Petit) takes over the job, professionally tending to issues of hospitality and guest safety while not losing her own sense of wonder in nature. For the winter season, solitude-seeking Suzanne (Anne Coesens) takes the job, her quiet gig interrupted by a French soldier (Yoann Zimmer) with his own reasons to escape life down below. Coubia finds the connection between this precise geographical place and places in her characters’ minds, an intersection where seekers of adventure or peace, ecstasy or solace, or those hoping to find themselves or to escape themselves, are all welcome. Special Mention, Perspectives Award, 2026 Berlin Film Festival. –Todd Hitchcock