Mount Verity

In 1989 Sweden, 12-year-old Hanna is shattered by the disappearance of her older brother in this introspective if meandering offering from Bohman (Andromeda). Erik is 15 when he goes with friends to Mt. Verity, a place near their hometown associated with 17th-century witch trials. It’s rumored that whoever goes into the cave there and tells a lie will be absorbed into the mountain. Erik’s companions remember nothing of what happened that night, and the search for him is eventually called off, leaving Hanna forever known as “the girl whose brother disappeared.” Her one close relationship is with Marcus, a fellow outsider whom she met when they were both five, and they advance from friends to romantic partners. To meet up with Marcus, Hanna crosses the woods surrounding her village, a mystical place that gives her “a sense that something invisible was lingering among the trees.” Ten years pass and Hanna and Marcus are out of touch, living in separate cities, neither having fulfilled their childhood dreams. At their high school reunion, they confront each other, their lives, and their relationship. The narrative doesn’t develop into much of a story, but Bohman evokes a strong sense of place, rendering the landscape as both magical and tangible. There’s much to savor in this slow-burning meditation on a family tragedy. (Apr.)