Experiencing Interruptions?

When Mountains Cry

Heavily pregnant and in the early summer heat, Mina has wandered up into the Montenegrin mountains in search of answers to the problems she is facing with her partner, Daniel. She longs for him, but she is full of doubt. A woman in the mountains tells her to find a dying tree and cure it by tying yarn around it – doing so will give her clarity, the woman says. On the way to the dying trees, Mina reflects on her relationship with Daniel. The task is challenging and puts Mina to the test, but the journey gives her a break from home with Daniel and all the noise of past events with him. She finds the silence and peace of mind she’s been missing, and finally she is once again able to see her own life and Daniel in a clear light.

When Mountains Cry is a fairy tale about stormy love, about being destroyed and about the heavy journey of letting go of your lover when you recognise his violence.

  • Lena Milovic
    Director
  • Kasper Schlüter
    Writer
  • Melanie Dastmalchi
    Producer
  • Sidsel Filipsen
    Producer
  • Marijana Jankovic
    Key Cast
  • Magnus Krepper
    Key Cast
  • Dragana Milutinovic
    Key Cast
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Bjergets Tårer
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, Fantasy
  • Runtime:
    27 minutes 46 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    July 24, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    30,000 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Denmark
  • Country of Filming:
    Montenegro
  • Language:
    Danish, Montenegrin, Swedish
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.85.1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Super16
  • OFF - Odense Film Festival
    Odense
    Denmark
    August 28, 2023
    National Premiere
Director Biography - Lena Milovic

Lena Milović (1993) is a Danish-Montenegrin film director and musician who grew up in the Danish countryside. In Lena's work she finds it important to be system- and norm critical, and her stories often revolve around characters, for whom it can be difficult living an everyday life in the kind of system and society we all live in.
Lena has a deep affinity for the people she portrays and she always seeks to create relatable characters, who dare to show and express their vulnerability. This is whether the arena is an absurd work place, a family home with domestic violence or an atmospheric sports arena. Lena graduated from the film school Super16 in Copenhagen in 2022.

Director of the short films:
Creeps (2019)
Parade (2020)
Grand Tour Violence (2021)
When Mountains Cry (2022)

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

In Denmark, one woman is every month killed by their partner or ex-partner; a person they once thought loved them. With this film I want to show some of the danger signals that women experience in living with a mentally violent partner. I want to express the complexity the main character Mina feels. I want the audience to feel how Mina truly loves Daniel, and at the same time understand how difficult and dangerous it is, to leave someone who breaks you down, and how easily you can be manipulated by “love”. Because love that breaks you down isn’t love at all.