It has more gorgeous views and less character development.

It’s too bad “The North” wasn’t shown at this year’s Boulder International Film Festival, because it would have been an ideal movie. I go hiking with my cousins during my visit in Boulder, Colorado, and there are gorgeous and breathtaking sights to see. The movie is set in the Scottish highlands and features a reunion of two friends, and self-discovery is supposed to bring them together.

Now, there are great reasons to like this movie, but somehow, I was feeling that it was selling itself short. It runs for over two hours, as we get long shots of the gorgeous scenery that photographed by Twan Peeters, and we see the main characters walking through it all. It should feel like a work out and a sentimental journey. But the problem is we get more of that and less of the emotions that could emerge within.

We meet two friends who haven’t seen each other in years, but reunite to hike through the West Highland Way and Cape Wrath Trail. It could take up to about a month, as long as they follow the right path. They consist of the Dutchman Chris (Bart Harder) and the Spaniard Lluis (Carles Pulido), and they both have a lot of catching up to do.

Chris is stressed out about his job, especially he might be in areas with no bars on his phone. And about half way through, Lluis decides to travel without using a GPS, but instead a map. But of course, Chris has to check his phone’s map when he’s not looking. And of course, Lluis needs an excuse to spend more time with Chris, because who knows when they’ll reunite again.

“The North” is the second feature for filmmaker Bart Schrijver, who also made “Human Nature” and directed a variety of short subjects like “Winterzeit” and “Memories of You.” He pays tribute to the beauty of Scotland and the nature it provides. We see these men walking in the rain, dealing with flies, and hearing the wind blows around them. It’s as authentic as any nature film of the genre.

I wanted to like this movie because of the authenticity and clean views of the highlands, but I decided against it, because I was barely learning anything about Chris and Lluis. I only get small bits from them, one argument, one struggle to set up their tent in the rain, shouting on the beach, and some Uno games, but not much development. “The North” is supposed to work as a life story for their self-discoveries, but it ends up going south on them.

There’s a better adventure movie out in select theaters and coming soon to AppleTV. It’s called “Tenzing,” and it’s about how Nepalese-Indian Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay and New Zealand native Edmund Hilary were the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest during the 1953 British Mount Everest expedition. That movie has some major stars in it, but it’s not why it’s the better film. It’s because of the emotions and character study that comes in. “The North” has its heart in the right place, but we need to get to know more of these hikers and their worlds.

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