The Mountain Between Us

Dir: Hany Abu-Assad

2017

***

There is a lot to like about Hany Abu-Assad’s adaptation of Charles Martin’s novel but there is also a lot that disappoints. A love story based around a plane crash and the subsequent fight for survival is fairly original but somehow Abu-Assad’s film feels formulaic, as if we’ve seen it many times before. I had no idea about the story before watching but I predicted nearly everything that happened at least half and hour before it did, which took away a level of enjoyment for me. The film seems to have been in development hell for the last few years with actors such as Michael Fassbinder, Margot Robbie, Charlie Hunnam and Rosamund Pike walking away from the project. Gerardo Naranjo was originally set to direct and I have to say I would have loved to have seen his version of the story. I understand where Hany Abu-Assad was coming from for most of the film but there are certain scenes that really frustrated me, like the single-shot spinning scene when the plane crashes. Technically it is brilliant, it must have taken a long time to set up and perfect and it is astonishing that not only did the actors train to get their timing just right, but so did the dog. However, it looks completely different to the rest of the film, like it came from a different movie altogether. There were also times where you weren’t sure whether the film was a romance or a story about survival – it should have been both – but I’m not sure the two ideas ever merged successfully. Abu-Assad’s quote when the film was released bothers me somewhat; "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." I think he was directing the film from a completely different angle that didn’t fit the story. Plane crashes are pretty unlucky but I never saw this film being about luck, making your own luck or fighting bad luck. It’s a survival story with a love story attached, Abu-Assad’s adaptation is over-complicated and ends up being a bit clouded. The landscape is stunning but I’m not sure anyone can take credit for that really. What really makes the film work is Kate Winslet and Idris Elba. Winslet is one of the finest actors working today and Elba has an astonishing ability of being believable. You could say they are one and the same thing but I believe there is a subtle difference. In any case, the chemistry between the two is utterly convincing and one could believe the pair had just survived a crash. There chemistry after the event was always more important though and this was handled perfectly, leaving the film on an interpretive high. It is a film of highs and lows but for the most part the highs exceed the lows, thanks to the epic scenery and the brilliant performances. I also want to state, without an inch of facetiousness, that I’m bitterly disappointed that neither Raleigh or Austin, the two beautiful Golden Retrievers that played ‘Dog’, were not nominated for the 2017 Palm Dog Award as I thought they added a much needed secondary element to the film and were both very well trained.