Synopsis

Based on the nonfiction book by John D'Agata, About a Mountainis an essay film that explores the human need to know the truth and what happens when the answers we desperately seek are not so clear. The film follows three interwoven stories, all involving characters who scramble for answers to personal, environmental, and philosophical challenges. Does the extensive scientific research done at Nevada's Yucca Mountain ensure that nuclear waste can be safely stored there for one million years? When a bright and seemingly happy young man suddenly jumps off a Las Vegas casino to his death, can those he left behind piece together facts to find out why he took his life? Amidst these questions, a documentary filmmaker attempts to draw concrete conclusions from both stories and ultimately struggles with the sometimes porous boundaries between fiction and nonfiction.