PORTLAND, Maine – Most students in Maine know that the boy who climbed the state’s tallest mountain in 1939 went missing for more than a week. Now the rest of the United States is entering the story.

Opens at 650 film ‘Lost on a Mountain in Maine,’ which was released in theaters on Friday, tells the heartbreaking story of a 12-year-old boy donn fendlerHe spent nine days on Mount Katahdin and the surrounding wilderness before being rescued. The gripping story of survival captured the nation’s attention in the days before World War II, and the boy’s bravery earned him an award from the president.

For decades, Fendler and Joseph B. Egan’s book, published the same year as the rescue, was required reading in many Maine classrooms, as was third-grade teacher Kimberly Nielsen’s.

“I love that the overall theme is that Donn never gives up. He never gives up. “It goes and goes,” said Nielsen, who is a teacher at Crooked River Elementary School in Casco and has read the book many times with her own children.

Fendler, who was separated from his hiking group due to bad weather conditions at the top of Mount Katahdin, used the techniques he learned as a scout to survive. It moved through the forest to the east branch of the Penobscot River, where it was found 30 miles (48 kilometers) from where it started. Bruised and cut, hungry and without pants or shoes, he survived by eating blackberries for nine days and lost 15 pounds (7 kilos).

The child’s danger sparked a massive search and became the focus of newspaper headlines and late-night radio broadcasts. Hundreds of volunteers flocked to the area to help.

Director Andrew Boodhoo Kightlinger said the film builds on the children’s book, using additional interviews and archival footage to reinforce the importance of family, faith and community in difficult times, as told by Fendler to Egan.

“Times are strangely dark in the country. You know, there are political divisions, society is a little bit on edge and everything. And I thought, here’s a movie that reminds people of the power of community, the power of caring about your neighbors. And the themes were very simple and basic. “And for some reason, sometimes we seem to be reminded of these things,” he said.

The film adds a vintage atmosphere to the big screen.

Filming took place in the woods of upstate New York; The crew battled bugs and canoed through shoulder-high water for scenes. Other scenes were shot on Mount Katahdin and on a replica mountain peak built on a soundstage complete with lichen-covered granite stones, blowing wind, rain and lightning.

The film offers the perspective of the distraught family as well as the terrified child played by Luke David Blumm. His father is played by Paul Sparks (“House of Cards,” “Boardwalk Empire”). Caitlin FitzGerald (“Masters of Sex,” “Succession”), a Maine native who read the book and met Fendler as a girl, takes on the role of Donn’s mother.

FitzGerald isn’t the only Mainer featured in the movie. Producer Ryan Cook, who also grew up in Maine, partnered with another Mainer, Dick Boyce. Both were familiar with the book, and Cook became close to Fendler, having previously made a documentary about him.

Sylvester Stallone Balboa Productions took on the project because they liked the story of the brave underdog.

Adventure stories are a dime a dozen, said Kightlinger, who auditioned Katahdin for the job of directing the film. He thinks the background of Donn and his father’s difficulties in connecting makes this situation even stronger.

“Ultimately it’s about a kid who just wants a hug from his dad,” Kightlinger said. “It’s such a pure and simple message and I think more films should aim to do that and remind people of the simple things because there’s so much noise in our world now and the simple things sometimes get lost.”

Nielsen said the story was both gripping and practical. The book inspires classroom discussions about geography, plants and wildlife; preparedness and survival skills; and resilience in the face of adversity.

His teenage son learned something valuable from the book: Stay together in the wilderness.

The 16-year-old was hiking on Mount Katahdin with his friends a few weeks ago. After hiking over the trees, they were crossing rocks when the storm came. The three of them made the difficult decision as a group to return.

“My son wanted to move on, but he knew they had to stay together. He learned this lesson from the book. “I’m 100 percent sure,” he said.