To Use a Mountain– A Disjointed Look at America’s Waste Problem
Genre: Documentary
Directed by: Casey Carter
Release Date: April 2025 (Dallas International Film Festival)
Platform: TBD
Rating: 2/5
By Crystal Justrine
TO USE A MOUNTAIN is a documentary shown at the Dallas International Film Festival that aims to highlight a critical legal and environmental crisis unfolding across the US: the search for nuclear waste dump sites. The film explores multiple proposed sites, capturing the landscapes, ecologies, and personal histories attached to these locations. With such an urgent and important subject matter, one would expect a documentary that stirs both reflection and action, but unfortunately, the film misses the mark.
While the environmental issue at the heart of this documentary is vital, TO USE A MOUNTAIN struggles to communicate its weight effectively. Rather than being hard to watch because of the overwhelming gravity of the subject matter, the film falters due to a lack of clear structure and focus.
The documentary leans heavily on text-heavy, hard-to-read documents shown on screen without any narration to guide the viewer through them. These sections come across as cluttered and overwhelming, leaving the audience to sift through dense information without much direction. The film also relies on nature reels, maps, and still images, which are edited together in a choppy manner. The lack of continuity and fluidity in the visuals disrupts the intended impact. Old newsreel footage is peppered throughout, but rather than serving as context, it feels like filler, further contributing to the documentary’s scattered nature.
The interviews, which could have been the emotional core of the film, are poorly executed. The framing is awkward, the lighting flat, and the blocking clumsy. To make matters worse, the background music often overpowers the interviewees’ voices, turning what should be a meaningful conversation into an awkward viewing experience. The intrusive score seems to force emotions upon the viewer, distracting from the power of the words being spoken by the interview subjects.
As someone who lives just 80 miles from Yucca Mountain, I initially sought out this film because of its personal connection to my hometown of Las Vegas. Growing up, nuclear waste storage was a common topic of conversation, given the proximity of the site and the millions of residents and tourists living in and visiting the area. This issue is one that hits close to home, and I had hoped TO USE A MOUNTAIN would delve into how these sites—Yucca Mountain among them—are truly affecting the surrounding communities. Unfortunately, the film fails to focus on any one site long enough to make a substantial impact. Instead, it glosses over multiple locations, offering no real depth or emotional connection to the people affected.
What the documentary lacks most is a coherent narrative. The subject matter is undoubtedly important, but the lack of a focused story arc makes the film feel more like a disjointed compilation of footage and documents rather than a cohesive piece of journalism. A more structured, narrative-driven approach would have allowed the film to better convey the urgency and gravity of this issue.
While TO USE A MOUNTAIN unfortunately doesn’t live up to its potential, it’s still a documentary worth watching. The subject of nuclear waste storage and its long-term consequences is too significant to ignore. Despite the film’s lack of direction, it serves as a necessary reminder of the serious risks posed by nuclear waste and the long-lasting impact it will have on our environment, our communities, and our future.
Though the film may be more meditative than grasping, TO USE A MOUNTAIN provides crucial awareness on a critical issue. Its failure to fully engage the audience should not overshadow the importance of the cause it brings to light.
