The Mountain Between Us (film)

After their flight is canceled due to stormy weather, neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Bass (Idris Elba) and photojournalist Alex Martin (Kate Winslet) hire private pilot Walter (Beau Bridges) to get them from Idaho to Denver for connecting flights to Alex's wedding in New York and Ben's emergency surgery appointment in Baltimore. Walter, who has not filed a flight plan, suffers a fatal stroke mid-flight, and the plane crashes on a mountaintop in the High Uintas Wilderness. Ben, Alex, and Walter's Labrador Retriever survive the crash but Alex has injured her leg quite badly. Ben attends to her cuts and injured knee, and buries the pilot while she is unconscious.

Once conscious, Alex thinks Ben has a better chance of finding help if he leaves her behind, but Ben refuses. Stranded for days with dwindling supplies, Alex grows skeptical that they will be rescued, although Ben wants to wait for help with the plane's wreckage. He agrees to climb a ridge to see if there is any sign of a road, but sees nothing but mountains and narrowly avoids falling down the side.

Alex goes through Ben's things and listens to a message from his wife saying, 'I'm glad to have had this time with you'. Alex is found by a cougar, who viciously fights and wounds the dog. She shoots a flare at the big cat, killing it. Ben comes back and tends to the dog’s wounds.

The two argue whether to wait for rescue or descend the mountain to find help/a phone signal. Alex starts a lone descent down the mountain. Ben catches up; having located the tail end of the plane he finds a beacon - but it is smashed. The two hike down to the tree-line and spend the night in a cave.

Using her telephoto lens, Alex thinks she sees a cabin. At the same time that Alex falls into freezing water, Ben comes across the empty cabin. He pulls her out, but she remains unconscious and severely dehydrated. Ben again saves her life by fashioning an IV. They stay there for several days while Alex recovers; Ben reveals that his wife died two years prior from a brain tumor. Eventually they have sex. As he sleeps, Alex takes his picture. Later, she again tells Ben to leave her behind to find help. Ben initially agrees but soon returns; they press forward again.

The dog alerts them to a nearby timber yard. On their way toward it, Ben's leg gets caught in a bear trap. Alex cannot free him, but she reaches the yard and collapses in front of an approaching truck. Ben awakens in a hospital and goes to Alex's room, where he finds her with Mark (Dermot Mulroney), her fiancé. After a brief conversation, Ben leaves, heartbroken.

Ben and Alex go their separate ways after the hospital, with Ben keeping the dog. Alex tries calling Ben, but he ignores her calls until she sends him photos she had taken on the mountain, writing that only he can understand them. This encourages Ben to call Alex. They meet at a restaurant in New York, where it is revealed that Alex is now a part-time teacher, and Ben is a consultant at trauma clinics in London because his frostbitten hands will not recover sufficiently for him to perform surgery again. Ben says he did not call Alex because he thought she had married; Alex says she could not go through with it because she fell in love with Ben. Outside the restaurant, Ben admits to Alex that they survived because they fell in love. Alex dismisses her feelings and reminds Ben of something he said on the mountain: "the heart is just a muscle." She tells him she does not know how they could be together in the real world. They hug goodbye, and begin to depart in opposite directions. While walking away both become distraught, and finally turn and begin running back to each other. A split second before the two embrace, the screen cuts to black and the credits roll.

• Idris Elba as Dr. Ben Bass, a neurosurgeon
• Kate Winslet as Alex Martin, a photojournalist
• Dermot Mulroney as Mark Robertson, Alex’s fiancé
• Beau Bridges as Walter, the pilot of the charter plane
• Raleigh and Austin as Walter's dog

The project was first in development in January 2012, with Mexican director Gerardo Naranjo set to direct a script by J. Mills Goodloe.{{cite web|url=https://thefilmstage.com/news/miss-bala-director-gerardo-naranjo-lands-hollywood-debut-the-mountain-between-us/|title='Miss Bala' Director Gerardo Naranjo Lands Hollywood Debut 'The Mountain Between Us'|last=Raup|first=Jordan|work=thefilmstage.com|date=2 February 2012|access-date=7 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220082434/https://thefilmstage.com/news/miss-bala-director-gerardo-naranjo-lands-hollywood-debut-the-mountain-between-us/|archive-date=20 December 2016}} In August 2012, Scott Frank was hired to re-write the script.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2012/film/news/scott-frank-rewrites-chernin-s-mountain-1118057668/|title=Scott Frank rewrites Chernin's 'Mountain'|last=Abrams|first=Rachel|work=Variety|date=9 August 2012|access-date=7 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220113436/http://variety.com/2012/film/news/scott-frank-rewrites-chernin-s-mountain-1118057668/|archive-date=20 December 2016}} In November 2014, Hany Abu-Assad replaced Naranjo, and Chris Weitz was later hired to re-write the script.

Abu-Assad has said of the film, "I really didn’t see an epic love story against the background of survival, I think optimism and hope is crucial to survive. And to go on with your life even if you’ve had a lot of bad luck. So if you give (in) to the bad luck, you will die. (But) if you fight the bad luck, you have a better chance to survive and make your life better. This is very simple wisdom, yes? But still very crucial especially in these kind of days, when everybody feels entitled to their good luck."{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2017/05/29/see-idris-elba-kate-winslet-stranded-wild-mountain-between-us-exclusive-photos/102150286/|title=See Idris Elba, Kate Winslet stranded in the wild in 'Mountain Between Us'|last=Mandell|first=Andrea|work=USA Today|date=29 May 2017|access-date=May 31, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170530045658/https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2017/05/29/see-idris-elba-kate-winslet-stranded-wild-mountain-between-us-exclusive-photos/102150286/|archive-date=30 May 2017}}

The film went through several lead casting changes. In March 2012, it was announced that Michael Fassbender would star as Bass,{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2012/03/michael-fassbender-to-climb-the-mountain-between-us-for-miss-bala-director-gerardo-naranjo-112278/|title=Michael Fassbender To Climb 'The Mountain Between Us' For 'Miss Bala' Director Gerardo Naranjo|last=Jagernauth|first=Kevin|work=Indiewire|date=14 May 2012|access-date=7 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220113616/http://www.indiewire.com/2012/03/michael-fassbender-to-climb-the-mountain-between-us-for-miss-bala-director-gerardo-naranjo-112278/|archive-date=20 December 2016}} but by September 2014, Fassbender dropped out due to a scheduling conflict, and Charlie Hunnam replaced him. Margot Robbie also came on board to star as Alex.{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2014/09/casting-charlie-hunnam-replaces-michael-fassbender-in-the-mountain-between-us-two-more-join-the-coen-bros-hail-caesar-272868/|title=Casting: Charlie Hunnam Replaces Michael Fassbender in 'The Mountain Between Us;' Two More Join The Coen Bros' 'Hail Caesar!'|last=Davis|first=Edward|work=Indiewire|date=4 September 2014|access-date=7 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160621005306/http://www.indiewire.com/2014/09/casting-charlie-hunnam-replaces-michael-fassbender-in-the-mountain-between-us-two-more-join-the-coen-bros-hail-caesar-272868/|archive-date=21 June 2016}} In November 2014, Robbie dropped out of the project, and Rosamund Pike entered negotiations for the lead role.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2014/11/gone-girl-rosamund-pike-the-mountain-between-us-charlie-hunnam-1201288544/|title='Gone Girl's Rosamund Pike Circling 'The Mountain Between Us' With Charlie Hunnam|last=Fleming|first=Mike Jr.|website=Deadline Hollywood|date=18 November 2014|access-date=7 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150321042044/http://deadline.com/2014/11/gone-girl-rosamund-pike-the-mountain-between-us-charlie-hunnam-1201288544/|archive-date=21 March 2015}} In December 2015, both Hunnam and Pike dropped out.{{cite web|url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/chris-weitz-re-writing-mountain-us-loses-leads/|title=Chris Weitz re-writing The Mountain Between Us as it loses its leads|last=White|first=James|work=Empire|date=10 December 2015|access-date=7 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151211111028/http://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/chris-weitz-re-writing-mountain-us-loses-leads/|archive-date=11 December 2015}}

In February 2016, Idris Elba came on board,{{cite web|url=https://www.thewrap.com/idris-elba-to-star-in-the-mountains-between-us-as-fox-embraces-colorblind-casting/|title=Idris Elba to Star in 'The Mountains Between Us' as Fox Embraces Colorblind Casting|last=Sneider|first=Jeff|work=TheWrap|date=10 February 2016|access-date=7 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160211093724/http://www.thewrap.com/idris-elba-to-star-in-the-mountains-between-us-as-fox-embraces-colorblind-casting/|archive-date=11 February 2016}} followed by Kate Winslet in June 2016.{{cite web|url=https://www.thewrap.com/kate-winslet-in-talks-for-mountain-between-us-with-idris-elba/|title=Kate Winslet in Talks for 'Mountain Between Us' With Idris Elba|last=Doty|first=Meriah|work=TheWrap|date=8 June 2016|access-date=7 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160609102658/http://www.thewrap.com/kate-winslet-in-talks-for-mountain-between-us-with-idris-elba/|archive-date=9 June 2016}} Dermot Mulroney joined the cast as Winslet's character's fiancé in early February 2017.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2017/02/dermot-mulroney-idris-elba-kate-winslet-the-mountain-between-us-fox-2000-1201901049/|title=Dermot Mulroney Joins Idris Elba & Kate Winslet In 'The Mountain Between Us'|last=Lodderhose|first=Diana|website=Deadline Hollywood|date=2 February 2017|access-date=3 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170203062921/http://deadline.com/2017/02/dermot-mulroney-idris-elba-kate-winslet-the-mountain-between-us-fox-2000-1201901049/|archive-date=3 February 2017}}

Principal photography started on December 5, 2016, in Vancouver, and continued until February 24, 2017.{{cite news|url=http://www.insidevancouver.ca/2016/12/05/vancouver-screen-scene-the-mountain-between-us-imposters-dead-shack-and-more/|title=VANCOUVER SCREEN SCENE: THE MOUNTAIN BETWEEN US, IMPOSTERS, DEAD SHACKVANCOUVER SCREEN SCENE: THE MOUNTAIN BETWEEN US, IMPOSTERS, DEAD SHACK, AND MORE|last=Takeuchi|first=Craig|work=Insidevancouver.ca|date=5 December 2016|access-date=6 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161209125206/http://www.insidevancouver.ca/2016/12/05/vancouver-screen-scene-the-mountain-between-us-imposters-dead-shack-and-more/|archive-date=9 December 2016}} Elba and Winslet filmed scenes at the Vancouver International Airport and Abbotsford International Airport on December 7, 2016.{{cite web|url=http://www.whatsfilming.ca/2016/12/13/the-mountain-us-fatal-vision-currently-filming-vancouver/?platform=hootsuite|title=The Mountain Between Us & Fatal Vision Currently Filming in Vancouver|website=Whatsfilming.ca|date=13 December 2016|access-date=15 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220155308/http://www.whatsfilming.ca/2016/12/13/the-mountain-us-fatal-vision-currently-filming-vancouver/?platform=hootsuite|archive-date=20 December 2016}} Filming stopped for Christmas holidays, from December 20, 2016 to January 3, 2017.{{cite web|url=http://www.insidevancouver.ca/2016/12/12/vancouver-screen-scene-casey-affleck-when-calls-the-heart-public-schooled-and-more/|title=VANCOUVER SCREEN SCENE: CASEY AFFLECK, WHEN CALLS THE HEART, PUBLIC SCHOOLED, AND MORE|last=Takeuchi|first=Craig|website=Insidevancouver.ca|date=5 December 2016|access-date=15 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220235220/http://www.insidevancouver.ca/2016/12/12/vancouver-screen-scene-casey-affleck-when-calls-the-heart-public-schooled-and-more/|archive-date=20 December 2016}}

Filming resumed around Invermere and Panorama Mountain Village on January 4, 2017.{{cite news|url=http://www.columbiavalleypioneer.com/?p=19387|title=Big stars set to film in local mountains|last=Elliot|first=Eric|work=Columbia Valley Pioneer|date=22 December 2016|access-date=3 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104091150/http://www.columbiavalleypioneer.com/?p=19387|archive-date=4 January 2017}}

Most of the filming took place in Canada, on the border of Alberta and British Columbia. Abu-Assad has described the locations as having very cold temperatures, and tough and harsh filming conditions. Many scenes were shot on a mountaintop, and he and the crew had to drive 40 minutes before reaching the film's base camp. When the weather was okay, they could board the helicopter to reach their destination along with their supplies.

German-Iranian composer Ramin Djawadi composed & conducted the music for the film.{{cite web|url=http://filmmusicreporter.com/2017/07/05/ramin-djawadi-to-score-the-mountain-between-us/|title=Ramin Djawadi to Score 'The Mountain Between Us'|work=Filmmusicreporter.com|date=5 July 2017|access-date=6 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706062820/http://filmmusicreporter.com/2017/07/05/ramin-djawadi-to-score-the-mountain-between-us/|archive-date=6 July 2017}} The official trailer for the movie was released with "Dusk Till Dawn" by Zayn Malik and Sia as the soundtrack. The score from the film is now released at Lakeshore Records. Soundtrackdreams reviewed, 'The main theme from “The mountain between us” is the best advertisement for this score; a sweeping piano and violin theme, both grandiose and intimate at the same time, a proper dramatic opening that gets emotional from the first minutes without an adjustment period. The first cue is the kind of piece that could have very well sat at the end as the dramatic climax of the movie. The horn buildup towards the end joins the rolling piano in making sure this theme will end up as one of the most memorable he has ever written.'{{Cite web|url=https://www.soundtrackdreams.com/2017/10/soundtrack-review-the-mountain-between-us-ramin-djawadi-2017/|title=Soundtrack review: The mountain between us (Ramin Djawadi – 2017) – Soundtrack dreams|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-06-30}}

The film premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival, on September 9, 2017.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2017/07/toronto-film-festival-2017-margot-robbie-gary-oldman-jake-gyllenhaal-emma-stone-christian-bale-1202135285/ |title=Toronto Film Festival 2017 Unveils Strong Slate |last=Fleming|first=Mike Jr.|website=Deadline Hollywood|date=July 25, 2017 |access-date=July 25, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170727162146/http://deadline.com/2017/07/toronto-film-festival-2017-margot-robbie-gary-oldman-jake-gyllenhaal-emma-stone-christian-bale-1202135285/|archive-date=July 27, 2017}} The film was initially set for release in the United States on October 20, 2017{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2016/12/twc-dimension-war-with-grandpa-release-date-postpone-robert-de-niro-polaroid-1201863671/|title=TWC/Dimension Moves Robert De Niro Comedy 'War With Grandpa' To October, Sets 'Polaroid' For Summer|last=Evans|first=Greg|website=Deadline Hollywood|date=December 2, 2016|access-date=December 2, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161203144133/http://deadline.com/2016/12/twc-dimension-war-with-grandpa-release-date-postpone-robert-de-niro-polaroid-1201863671/|archive-date=December 3, 2016}} but was later moved up to October 6, 2017.

{{As of|2017|12|21|df=US}}, The Mountain Between Us has grossed $30.3 million in the United States and Canada, and $30.7 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $62.3 million, against a production budget of $35 million.

In the United States and Canada, the film was released alongside Blade Runner 2049 and My Little Pony: The Movie, and was expected to gross $11–12 million from 3,088 theaters in its opening weekend.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2017/10/ryan-gosling-blade-runner-2049-worldwide-box-office-opening-harrison-ford-1202181411/ |title='Blade Runner 2049' Poised To Fly Around The World With Estimated $100M Bow|website=Deadline Hollywood |date=October 7, 2017}} It ended up debuting to $10.1 million, finishing second at the box office, behind Blade Runner 2049 ($32.5 million).{{Cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2017/10/blade-runner-2049-ryan-gosling-box-office-bomb-1202184297/|title=Blade Runner 2049' Dulls -11% On Saturday; Weekend Opening Now At $31M+: Sunday Postmortem|website=Deadline Hollywood|author= D'Alessandro, Anthony|access-date=October 8, 2017}} The film dropped 47% in its second weekend, making $5.7 million and falling to 5th.{{Cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2017/10/happy-death-day-blade-runner-2049-weekend-box-office-the-foreigner-jackie-chan-1202187771/|title=Blumhouse Has Plenty To Smile About As 'Happy Death Day' Scares Up $26M+ Opening|author= D'Alessandro, Anthony|website=Deadline Hollywood|date=15 October 2017|access-date=October 15, 2017}}

{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|39|5.1|174|consensus=The Mountain Between Us may be too far-fetched for some viewers to appreciate, but it's elevated by reliably engaging performances from Idris Elba and Kate Winslet.|ref=yes|access-date=August 16, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240618133141/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_mountain_between_us|archive-date=June 18, 2024|url-status=live}} {{Metacritic film prose|48|37|ref=yes|access-date=August 16, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240717141942/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-mountain-between-us/|archive-date=July 17, 2024|url-status=live}} Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.

Jordan Mintzer of The Hollywood Reporter described the film as "an easily digestible love story-cum-survival tale that tosses two excellent actors in the snow and lets them do their thing," before concluding that "what really helps Mountain overcome its far-fetched scenario is the pairing of Winslet and Elba, who know how to turn up the charm tenfold yet make Alex and Ben seem (mostly) like real people."{{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/mountain-between-us-review-1037494|title='The Mountain Between Us': Film Review TIFF 2017|last=Mintzer|first=Jordan|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=September 10, 2017 |access-date=September 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170911065237/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/mountain-between-us-review-1037494|archive-date=September 11, 2017}} Tim Grierson of ScreenDaily noted that the film "struggles to balance its life-or-death stakes with its far more florid love story," but added that "the considerable chemistry between Kate Winslet and Idris Elba certainly helps sell this tearjerker."{{cite news|url=https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-mountain-between-us-toronto-review/5122224.article|title='The Mountain Between Us': Toronto Review|last=Grierson|first=Tim|work=ScreenDaily|date=September 11, 2017 |access-date=September 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170911175042/https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-mountain-between-us-toronto-review/5122224.article|archive-date=September 11, 2017}}

In his review for Variety, Peter Debruge described it as "a movie in which neither the subzero temperature nor the romantic heat penetrates more than skin deep."{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2017/film/festivals/the-mountain-between-us-review-1202553321/|title=Toronto Film Review: 'The Mountain Between Us'|last=Debruge|first=Peter|work=Variety|date=September 10, 2017 |access-date=September 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170911060749/http://variety.com/2017/film/festivals/the-mountain-between-us-review-1202553321/|archive-date=September 11, 2017}} Also criticizing the film, Steve Pond of TheWrap found it unnecessarily lengthy and said that "a love story cheapens the grand survival story."{{cite web|url=https://www.thewrap.com/mountain-between-us-kate-winslet-idris-elba-toronto-review/|title='Mountain Between Us' Toronto Review: Idris Elba and Kate Winslet Plane Crash Drama Falls Short|last=Pond|first=Steve|work=TheWrap|date=September 10, 2017|access-date=September 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170911065733/https://www.thewrap.com/mountain-between-us-kate-winslet-idris-elba-toronto-review/|archive-date=September 11, 2017}} Ignatiy Vishnevetsky of The A.V. Club criticized the central characters as "a couple of one-note personality-test types" with "zero romantic chemistry," and wrote that the script "actually tones down the howling outrageousness of Martin’s novel, which seems to miss the point. But, structurally, it’s the same junk. Problems pop out of nowhere and resolve themselves, while torturous motivations attempt to explain why characters would withhold basic information from one another for weeks..."{{cite web|last1=Vishnevetsky|first1=Ignatiy|title=A plane crash becomes a blind date from hell in the mawkish and clumsy The Mountain Between Us|url=https://www.avclub.com/a-plane-crash-becomes-a-blind-date-from-hell-in-the-maw-1818822388|website=The A.V. Club|access-date=2 October 2017|date=October 2, 2017}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

• {{official website|http://www.foxmovies.com/movies/the-mountain-between-us}}
• {{IMDb title|2226597|The Mountain Between Us}}
• {{Mojo title|mountainbetweenus|The Mountain Between Us}}
• {{Rotten Tomatoes|the_mountain_between_us|The Mountain Between Us}}
• {{Metacritic film|title=The Mountain Between Us}}

{{Hany Abu-Assad}}

{{Chris Weitz}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mountain Between Us, The}}

Category:2010s adventure drama films

Category:2010s disaster films

Category:2017 romantic drama films

Category:2010s survival films

Category:2017 films

Category:20th Century Fox films

Category:American adventure drama films

Category:American disaster films

Category:American romantic drama films

Category:American survival films

Category:2010s English-language films

Category:Films about aviation accidents or incidents

Category:Films based on American novels

Category:Films based on romance novels

Category:Films directed by Hany Abu-Assad

Category:Films produced by Peter Chernin

Category:Films scored by Ramin Djawadi

Category:Films set in Utah

Category:Films shot in Alberta

Category:Films shot in London

Category:Films shot in Vancouver

Category:Films about interracial romance

Category:Climbing and mountaineering films

Category:Films with screenplays by Chris Weitz

Category:Chernin Entertainment films

Category:2010s American films

Category:English-language romantic drama films

Category:English-language adventure drama films