The documentary opens with the sounds of wind and sea, yet the images show traces of life in the mountains: a fossil, a meadow, a jay, animal tracks, a shed deer antler. These are signs of a deep past and an ancestral bond with nature. What does it mean today to reach a summit? Does it still make sense to speak of heroism and speed, or should the mountains teach us something else?
Inside a small alpine cabin, a writer reads notes for a book. His reflections, scattered throughout the film, guide the viewer through an intimate and thoughtful narrative. The film alternates between solitary and shared excursions, and encounters with mountaineers of different generations, including a young climber and a legendary 8000-meter summiteer. Together, they traverse some of the Alps’ most spectacular routes, reflecting on how the Dolomites serve as sentinels of the climate crisis and symbols of a potential shift: living more slowly, rediscovering the wild, and resisting urban frenzy.
The documentary also exposes contradictions: traffic jams on mountain passes, unaware tourists, and climbers who see melting glaciers as new climbing opportunities, overlooking the fragility of these ecosystems. Super8 family footage intertwines with contemporary images, showing how the landscape has changed in just a few decades and highlighting the evolving relationship between humans and the mountains.
Matteo Righetto is a writer and author living between Padua and the Dolomites. He debuted with Savana Padana, followed by La pelle dell’orso (adapted into a film), Apri gli occhi (Mountain Prize 2024), and Dove porta la neve. With Mondadori, he published the internationally acclaimed Trilogy of the Homeland. For Feltrinelli, his works include Il sentiero selvatico (2024) and Il richiamo della montagna (2025). He was awarded the Dolomiti Unesco Prize (2019) and the Pelmo d’Oro (2024).
Marco Zuin is a director and author. He has created documentaries and shorts for NGOs and foundations, screened at festivals such as Festival dei Popoli, Giffoni, Trento, and FIFEQ. His film Niente sta scritto won the Cinema Paralympic Award. He directed Le storie che saremo and the web series The Year of the Seven Winters with Matteo Righetto. His recent works include Edith—selected by the Italian Prime Minister’s Office for the Day of Remembrance—and Theatre Only Lives if It Burns, both available on RaiPlay.