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The Mountain Between Us (2017) movie poster

Plot Summary

The Mountain Between Us (2017) Plot Summary Explained

Release, runtime and language
2017 · 112 min
Echo score 61
JustWatch #10,857 7
Directed by
Hany Abu-Assad
Starring
Idris Elba, Kate Winslet, Beau Bridges, Marci T. House, Dermot Mulroney, Waleed Zuaiter
Budget
$35M

After a plane crash leaves them stranded in the remote High Uintas Wilderness, a cynical advertising executive and a skilled surgeon are forced to depend on each other to survive. Battling severe weather and challenging landscapes, they begin a dangerous trek toward civilization. As they face life-threatening circumstances, an unlikely connection develops between them, leading to an unexpected and profound relationship.

On this page (7)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 What happens: full plot
  3. 3 Plot questions answered
  4. 4 The book behind the movie
  5. 5 Movie threads
  6. 6 Movies like The Mountain Between Us
  7. 7 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch The Mountain Between Us (2017)

Where can you watch The Mountain Between Us? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store and Fandango At Home: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

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Full plot summary · contains spoilers

What Happens in The Mountain Between Us: Full Plot Summary

The whole story of The Mountain Between Us (2017) explained, from the opening scene to the final frame: every key event, every twist and what it all adds up to. Read it as a quick recap before the sequel, to check a scene you missed, or to finally understand what really happened.

The film opens at an airport, where Alex Martin is eager to catch a flight to Denver for her wedding. Unfortunately, she learns that her flight has been canceled due to an impending storm. Simultaneously, Ben Bass is trying to board a plane for an urgent heart surgery he needs to perform on a 10-year-old boy, but his flight is also grounded. In a twist of fate, Alex approaches Ben and proposes a solution to their mutual travel dilemma.

The two soon meet Walter, the owner of a charter plane that can take them to their destination. Walter brings along his dog, who seems to be none too friendly towards Ben at first. During the flight, Alex reveals her profession as a photographer, mentioning an assignment where she photographed neo-Nazis. As the journey progresses, ominous storm clouds gather above them. While Walter attempts to communicate via radio, he suddenly suffers a stroke. Ben rushes to assist, but Walter loses motor functions, resulting in a tragic crash into the mountain.

When Ben regains consciousness at night, he discovers Walter dead and Alex unconscious with a severe leg injury. Ben tends to her wounds before passing out from exhaustion. The following morning, Ben emerges from the wreckage, retrieves Walter's body, and gives him a proper burial in the snowy mountains.

Alex wakes up the next day to Ben's grim account of their situation. They quickly realize their limited food supply poses a significant threat to their survival, and they begin searching for ways to signal for help. To keep their spirits up, they engage in conversation about each other's lives. Ben spots a plane overhead and tries to signal it with a flare, but it is unsuccessful. While he goes in search of supplies, Alex listens to a recording from his wife, which reveals a painful part of his past. Meanwhile, danger lurks as a cougar stalks Alex and the dog outside. The dog bravely confronts the cougar but gets bitten. In a show of courage, Alex uses a flare to scare it away. Ben treats the dog’s injury and prepares the cougar they killed for dinner.

Days pass as tension builds. Alex suggests they move forward, while Ben insists they stay put. Eventually, they decide to leave the wreck and pursue a glimmer of hope that Alex spots through her camera. However, they are met with a raging river that blocks their path. They seek shelter in a cave for the night, both grappling with the reality that they could die in the unforgiving wilderness.

The next day, in a moment of vulnerability, Ben asks Alex to take a picture of him, fearing it may be his last. Alex recalls a haunting memory of taking a photo of a girl just before she died, leading her to refuse Ben's request. As they trek on, they become separated from the dog, and Ben finds a cabin. While checking it out, Alex falls through thin ice, plunging into freezing water. Ben rushes to save her, risking his own safety. After rescuing her, he builds a fire to revive her.

Alex remains in a comatose state for days, yet when she finally awakens, tensions rise when she explores Ben's past through his recorded message from his wife. After an emotional conversation, they share a kiss, leading to an intimate moment that deepens their connection. Ben reveals more about his late wife, Sarah, whose struggle with a brain tumor drove them apart.

One day, he spots a lumber mill in the distance. As he heads back to the cabin, he inadvertently steps into a bear trap, leaving Alex to seek help on her own. Exhausted and near collapse, she manages to attract a truck driver before losing consciousness.

Ben wakes up in a hospital, where he finds Alex with her fiancé, Mark. Though Mark is grateful to Ben for saving Alex, their reunion is bittersweet, filled with unspoken feelings as Ben quietly leaves the room.

As time passes, they continue to adjust to life without each other. Ben returns to South London and adopts the dog, while Alex attempts to move on with her life alongside Mark. Despite her new relationship, memories of Ben linger, especially during a party where friends suggest she share her photos from their harrowing experience. However, she hesitates, knowing that one picture holds profound meaning.

Finally, Alex sends Ben some of the photos along with a note that he alone can interpret. This gesture prompts Ben to reach out to her. Eventually, they meet in Manhattan at a restaurant. Ben confesses his silence stemmed from assuming Alex had moved on. To his relief, she reveals that she couldn't go through with her engagement and has realized she loves him. Yet, when it comes time to profess their feelings, Ben holds back. They part ways, only to quickly regret their decision. In a surge of emotion, they turn around and rush back into each other's arms, cementing the bond forged under unimaginable circumstances.

Last updated: November 02, 2024 at 12:42

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Plot questions answered

The Mountain Between Us Plot Explained: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask most about The Mountain Between Us (2017): what happens in the confusing scenes, why the characters do what they do, the twists, hidden details and what the ending means. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

Why did the pilot Walter crash the plane?

Walter suffered a stroke mid-flight while attempting to communicate with air traffic control. The stroke caused him to lose motor functions, leaving him unable to control the aircraft. Despite Ben's efforts to assist, the plane crashed into the remote mountain area.

  • walter stroke
  • pilot stroke
  • plane crash cause
  • charter plane crash
Q2

Why did Alex refuse to take Ben's picture?

Ben asked Alex to take his picture because he feared it might be his last. However, Alex was haunted by a memory of photographing a young girl just before she died, making her believe that taking pictures of people in vulnerable moments somehow jinxes them. This traumatic experience caused her to refuse his request.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Alex mentioned she photographed neo-Nazis for an assignment, establishing her relationship with photography as emotionally charged.

  • alex photo refusal
  • ben picture request
  • death photograph trauma
  • memory flash
Q3

Why did Ben leave the hospital without saying goodbye?

When Ben woke up in the hospital, he found Alex with her fiancé Mark. Though Mark thanked Ben for saving Alex, the situation was emotionally complex. Ben realized Alex had moved on with her life and chose to quietly leave, not wanting to disrupt her re-engagement or confront his own unresolved feelings.

  • ben hospital exit
  • mark reunion
  • unspoken feelings
  • emotional departure
Q4

Why did Alex break off her engagement to Mark?

Alex realized she couldn't go through with her marriage to Mark because she had fallen in love with Ben during their survival ordeal. The intense circumstances they shared created a profound bond that she couldn't ignore, leading her to end her engagement despite having already moved back into her life with Mark.

  • alex mark breakup
  • broken engagement
  • love confession
  • survival romance
Q5

Why did Ben step into a bear trap?

While scouting for help near a lumber mill, Ben accidentally stepped into a bear trap that had been set in the wilderness. The trap injured him significantly, leaving Alex to fend for herself and eventually flag down a truck driver to get them rescued.

  • bear trap injury
  • ben wounded
  • alex rescue
  • survival injury
Q6

Why did Alex listen to Ben's wife's recorded message?

While Ben was searching for supplies, Alex came across a recorded message from Ben's wife, Sarah. Curiosity about Ben's past led her to listen to it, revealing that Sarah's struggle with a brain tumor had driven them apart, adding emotional depth to Ben's character and later fueling tension between them.

  • sarah recording
  • wife message
  • ben past
  • emotional revelation
Q7

Why did Ben and Alex decide to leave the crash site?

After days of waiting and rationing limited supplies, Alex spotted what appeared to be hope through her camera lens, a sign of civilization. Despite Ben's initial insistence to stay put for rescue, they decided to pursue this lead. However, their progress was halted by a raging river that blocked their path, forcing them to seek shelter in a cave.

  • leave crash site
  • river obstacle
  • cave shelter
  • decision to move
Q8

Why didn't Ben contact Alex after recovering?

Ben remained silent after his recovery because he assumed Alex had moved on with her life and her engagement to Mark. His silence stemmed from believing that Alex had chosen her original path and that reaching out would only reopen old wounds.

  • ben silence
  • no contact
  • assumptions
  • reunion phone call
Q9

What happened to Walter's dog after the crash?

Walter's dog survived the crash and remained with Ben and Alex throughout their ordeal. The dog was initially hostile toward Ben but eventually warmed up to him. It fought off a cougar that attacked Alex, getting bitten in the process. Ben treated the dog's injury, and after their rescue, Ben adopted the dog, bringing it back to South London with him.

  • walter dog survival
  • adopted dog
  • pet rescue
  • cougar fight
Q10

How did Alex survive falling into the frozen river?

Alex fell through thin ice into freezing water. Ben immediately rushed to save her, risking his own safety. After pulling her out, he built a fire to warm her up. She remained in a comatose state for several days but eventually woke up, thanks to Ben's emergency care and the fire that prevented hypothermia.

  • ice rescue
  • hypothermia
  • coma recovery
  • cold water survival
Q11

Why did Ben and Alex part ways at the restaurant in Manhattan?

During their Manhattan restaurant meeting, both Ben and Alex struggled to express their feelings openly. Ben confessed his silence stemmed from thinking Alex had moved on. When Alex finally admitted she loved him and had broken off her engagement, Ben still held back from fully committing. In a moment of confusion and fear, they both left, only to quickly realize their mistake and rush back to each other.

  • manhattan reunion
  • restaurant scene
  • emotional hesitation
  • second chance
Q12

Why did Ben and Alex kiss at the cabin?

After Alex woke up from her coma following the frozen river incident, an emotional conversation unfolded between Ben and Alex. They shared stories about their lives and the losses they had experienced. The kiss represented a culmination of the deep emotional connection that had developed during their life-or-death survival situation, marking a turning point in their relationship.

  • cabin kiss
  • emotional bond
  • coma recovery
  • relationship turning point

Movie threads

More Movies Like The Mountain Between Us, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes The Mountain Between Us tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Survival Romance Stories Like The Mountain Between Us

Characters pushed to their limits discover unexpected love and connection. If you enjoyed the blend of high-stakes survival and unexpected romance in The Mountain Between Us, explore these movies where characters find love while battling the elements. These films combine tense survival scenarios with heartfelt emotional connections, perfect for viewers seeking gripping and romantic stories.

  • tense
  • romantic
  • vulnerable
  • gripping
  • hopeful
  • desolate
  • Tone: bittersweet, tense, hopeful
  • Pacing: steady, obstacle-driven
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative typically begins with a catastrophic event that strands characters in a harsh, isolated environment. The plot follows their linear, physically demanding journey toward safety, with each obstacle strengthening their interdependence. The central conflict evolves from man-versus-nature to include the complexities of a burgeoning intimate relationship under duress.

Why they belong together: These movies are grouped by their unique combination of high-intensity survival action and a central, emotionally heavy romance. They share a bittersweet tone, steady pacing driven by external threats, and a focus on how extreme circumstances catalyze profound personal connections.

Bittersweet Survival Dramas Like The Mountain Between Us

Harrowing physical and emotional journeys that leave lasting scars and new beginnings. Find movies similar to The Mountain Between Us that explore the heavy emotional cost of survival. These dramas focus on characters who overcome immense trauma, resulting in stories that are both hopeful and heartbreaking, perfect for viewers who appreciate deeply emotional and resonant journeys.

  • bittersweet
  • gripping
  • heavy
  • hopeful
  • traumatic
  • vulnerable
  • Tone: bittersweet, heavy, contemplative
  • Pacing: steady, emotionally driven
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative follows a linear path of endurance, where characters are stripped down to their core by a traumatic event. The journey is as much about internal healing as external survival. The conclusion acknowledges the characters' survival and newfound strength but also honors the profound loss and change they have undergone, leading to a realistically bittersweet feeling.

Why they belong together: This grouping is defined by a consistent bittersweet tone and heavy emotional weight. The movies share a straightforward narrative complexity focused on a central traumatic experience, a steady pacing that builds emotional resonance, and endings that balance survival with the acknowledgment of deep personal cost.

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Every angle

The Mountain Between Us (2017) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

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