The modern breed of understated, rural, slice-of-life indie dramas with a simple plot and few cinematic conventions at play may seem like a saturated genre to some. Yet, after a directing hiatus and after the once-golden age of mumblecore, Hilary Brougher has created a new indie drama in South Mountain that may not have the most competent script or be the most compelling of narratives, but still proves that this genre can be mined for dramatic features. As we are plagued with this decade’s onus of endless content, the realistic, humble indie drama category is ripe for filmmakers, but with South Mountain it’s unclear if a slice of a boring yet somewhat promiscuous and scandalous life is worthy of our time. South Mountain’s setting takes place in the modern-day Catskill mountains of upstate New York, in a few months in the life of a mother, her dysfunctional family, and the family home. Lila, the mother, is played as a hardworking, jaded, abused yet strong-willed housewife – much like Sally Fields’ role in Brothers and Sisters -- who must juggle the responsibilities of being a worried parent, as well as the responsibility of taking care of the wreckage of a deadbeat, sleazy, manipulative husband. As Talia Balsam plays a mother undergoing some life trials and some intricate emotions, her performance is intercut with glittered with some appetizing shots of the mountain ranges this family resides in. In one summer, when Lila’s teenage children head off to adventure, Lila must grapple with hate and love in a turbulent few months of her life. Hilary Brougher doesn’t relay these plot elements to the viewer through clichés of dialogue-driven dramas such as this, and we are fed much of the specifics of this information and more as the film progresses – hinting at, but not clearly stating, the specifics of the familial situation. We are given clues that the husband has been adulterous, that the family is very adventurous (living in the woods is one hint) and that there is some trauma we’re unaware of, but all of this does not formulate into a compelling mystery of this family’s past, or an emotional drama of a mother coping with a new period in her life. Nor does it acquire the commentary on sedentary lives, the politics of rural America, or the economics of a complicated family such as this one. Instead, the film produces an outcome that leaves limited thematic takeaway, and proves redundant when compared to other works of similar ilk. Yet, the emotional journey of Lila as she struggles proves to be a delectable one, albeit one still bare bones in higher concepts. The viewer is left with only the vaguest understanding of the characters, with the blanks filled in by character archetypes of this indie language. Events happen before our eyes that don’t feel to have any weight on the film’s endpoint, but prove only to add towards insignificant, naturalistic but often times spiritual details of a true life in the woods. Humor occurs in real life, but this film’s moments of levity feel forced, sparing, and distracting. We adapt to the struggles of a struggling mother but never quite feel the weight of a world threatening her fragile lifestyle in the mountains. What can be gleamed from one conversation on religion seems to sum up the spiritual takeaways that this film tries to convey. Christian imagery is abundant in the household, and when Lila has a conversation with a younger man, Jonah, he reveals his pantheism as opposed to Lila’s Eastern Orthodox spirituality. “Whatever stops you from killing yourself” she utters, clearly jaded by the ground falling out from beneath her but still clinging on to the promise of Christian values and salvation after death. It is here, and the puzzle surrounding these interactions, where the film proves most rewarding. While not necessarily a gripping mystery, the film’s rather short runtime appears to take its time, giving you glimpses of Lila’s life in the woods and interactions with some despicable characters, letting its audience sink in to this character’s rather realistic life. While it doesn’t quite find its footing, Brougher crafts an indie drama that is more similar to a speck of gold than another piece of coal.