‘Three Peaks’ Clip: Intense Family Drama Is No Match for the Terrors of Mountain Climbing in TIFF Thriller — Watch

Family bonding is always a tough sell, even worse when you’re trying to blend a family, and filmmaker Jan Zabeil takes that highly relatable conceit and blows it out into a wild feature. One thing is for sure: you won’t look at your innocent family vacation the same way after watching this film.

In “Three Peaks,” Aaron (Alexander Fehling, who is part of the Face to Face campaign that showcases German talent worldwide, a year-long campaign started in Cannes) invites his girlfriend Lea (Berenice Bejo) and her 8-year-old son Tristan (Arian Montgomery) on what should be an idyllic trip to the Italian Dolomites. But there’s already a mighty power dynamic brewing, as Aaron and Tristan are fighting to be Lea’s main man, and even a generally affable feeling between the two doesn’t help matters. Thrown into a heightened new environment, Aaron and Tristan’s relationship grows still more strained, as Lea attempts to hold the tiny new family together.

How can things possibly get worse? Aaron goes missing.

After bowing at the Locarno Film Festival, the film is set for its international premiere at TIFF next month, where the mix of “Force Majuere” style uneasiness and genuine mystery will likely keep plenty of audiences from ever, ever hitting the road with their family again. Get a taste of the film — and its central relationship — with our exclusive clip from “Three Peaks” below.