With “The North”, writer-director Bart Schrijver pulls from his own personal experiences to tell an affecting story of self-discovery and true friendship, all during a grueling yet enlightening 330-mile hike across the Scottish Highlands. The film is a breathtaking journey full of sweeping vistas and natural wonder. It’s also a deeply intimate, soul-searching meditation that is as emotionally impactful as the scenery is stunningly gorgeous.

Despite only being Schrijver’s second feature, “The North” proved to be a challenging undertaking. He and his small six-person crew shot the film chronologically on location while walking the entire route of the West Highland Way and the Cape Wrath Trail. It required them to haul the filmmaking equipment themselves, along with their necessary food, supplies, and hiking gear. In addition to the long distance and rugged terrain, the cast and crew also had to endure sudden and often severe changes in the weather.

While the filmmaking choices were certainly demanding, they also give “The North” a visual, physical, and emotional authenticity that vividly enriches the story its telling. That story centers around two disconnected friends who haven’t seen each other in ten years. Chris (Bart Harder) and Lluis (Carles Pulido) first met as roommates in college. A tight-knit friendship formed, but after school the two drifted apart. Now in their mid-thirties, the pair are set to reunite for a 28-day hike across the Scottish Highlands.

A lot has changed in their individual lives over the last ten years. Chris has a stressful life both at work and at home. His phone constantly rings with calls from his new job. Meanwhile he struggles with pressure from home as his wife is ready to have a baby. For Chris, the hike is more than a reunion. He has grown disillusioned with his life and has no clear vision for what’s ahead for him. It has caused him to withdrawal rather than share the different battles he’s been facing.

The two meet up and then enthusiastically set out on their 600-kilometer journey. Even with a looming ambiguity over why they lost touch, the first leg of their hike features the former close friends enjoying several good moments laughing over old memories and sharing new life updates. But as the physical strain intensifies, quiet frustrations set in and an emotional distance grows between them. Confessions are made and true feelings are revealed, leading to a powerful emotional payoff that adds context to everything we’ve seen along the way.

Shooting on location allows for some stunning shots of Scotland’s natural beauty. There is no shortage of gorgeous scenery as we follow the two souls down well-worn natural paths, across green rocky hills, and alongside tranquil rolling streams. But Schrijver keeps humanity as his film’s centerpiece, letting the human drama unfold to the patient rhythm of a long-distant walk. And while Chris and Lluis’ emotions can be vague, you can’t help but be moved by their meditative and moving experience.