Film "Mountains Between Us". How to bring back the joy of life
“Look, what a beauty. I want you to film me. Perhaps this will be my last photo. At first glance, this is a completely ordinary film with an uncomplicated plot: two people met. The story is really banal, but what could be more important than human relations?
The airport in the American city of Salt Lake City greets us with a variety of sounds and voices. She - bright, fast, reckless - rushes through the crowd, deftly maneuvering and bypassing the line at the check-in counter. He - calm, serious, focused - slowly walks away from people and puts on headphones. A figurative sketch a few minutes before the meeting of the main characters of the film "The Mountain Between Us", based on the book of the same name by Charles Martin and directed by Hani Abu-Assad in 2017.
Two strangers on the same plane
Alex Martin is a well-known journalist working in hot spots and catastrophically unable to make it to her own wedding. Ben Baz is a successful neurosurgeon waiting for a small patient in need of urgent surgery. They met at the airport at a time when the storm was approaching and all flights were canceled.
Alex offered to charter a private jet together. During the flight, the pilot suffered a stroke and the plane lost control. After the crash, Ben, Alex and the pilot's dog survived.
While waiting for Alex to regain consciousness, Ben examined the crash site. Around, as far as the eye could see, flaunted snow-capped mountain peaks and the endless transparency of the sky.
When discussing further actions, they collide with each other: their views are completely different and they hardly come to a common denominator. One thing is clear - the situation is almost hopeless. The pilot did not transmit the flight plan, there is no cellular connection, there is a minimum of food, and Alex's leg injury is seriously complicating the situation.
Throughout the film, Alex asks Ben questions about his personal life. Her interest in everything around her has now narrowed to one person. She belongs to the category of people who cannot be alone - this causes incredible suffering. She needs communication. That is why Alex diligently asks Ben about his life, trying in this way to get closer and feel that she is not alone. Her natural bonding ability and ease of communication usually contribute to this. But in this case, Alex's keen interest stumbles upon Ben's wall of cold aloofness.
At this time, their first quarrel occurs. She persuades, without waiting for help, to go down. He insists that they need to stay and wait for rescuers.
“The system is crashing! It is a fact! You wanted to wait - how long can you ?! " - her arguments crumble about the inexorableness of his judgments. "You can't take risks!" - his key phrase.
Fear, the hopelessness of the situation and the hopelessness of the situation heat up and reveal the feelings of people, even when they are hidden deep inside. Their mutual hostility reaches the limit - he blames her for the current situation and that he cannot get out, because he is bound by a sense of duty: he cannot leave her helpless and alone.
…
"I will not Give Up!" - sounds like a mantra in Alex's head as she, with great difficulty, leaning on a stick, moves further and further from the plane. A few hours later, amid the infinity of snow, she hears the sound of Ben's footsteps catching up.
……………………………………
First halt. Cave. He apologizes to her, and her sincere remorse and asking for forgiveness for dragging him into this adventure brings them closer. They are alone in the mountains, and they have only hope for each other.
Alex does not give up trying to build trust with Ben and again asks questions that remain unanswered in the air.
Honestly, doctor …
Mountains, cold and another person's shoulder … Descent is very slow, every step is difficult. During one of the halts, Alex saw a reflection in the distance through the lens of her camera.
This moment is a turning point in the film. Instead of a snapshot, Alex tells a story about a group of girls she bonded with on assignment. Especially one. The report was nearly finished and there was an explosion. The girl suffered - fatally. Alex rushed to help, but it was all for nothing.
The shutter of the camera clicked, and the girl was gone …
Revelation … Sociable, business-like, strong, unshakable - this is how Alex manifests himself throughout the journey. During an arduous journey, with a serious injury to her leg, she does not stop or complain.
And at this moment, her decisiveness, endless curiosity give way to sincerity and sensuality. A tremor in his voice, tears in Alex's eyes reveal the secret of the tender soul of our heroine. Talking about friendship, love, beauty and compassion, she opens her heart to him. Ben, forgetting about his pain, switches to her, deeply empathizing with her. At this moment, the sensual warmth is born, so necessary for creating a relationship. Warmth, which is like the breath of Life itself …
Point of no return
Heavy snowfall makes Ben's attempts to find his way unsuccessful. While Alex is recovering, he tries to build the skis so he can move on. Almost no strength left, food too; the hope that they would be able to survive had almost vanished. The quiet voice from the recorder is drowned out by Ben's deafening reaction. She did not have time to listen to the recording - Ben returned home. He shouts his indignation furiously, rushing about the house heavily. She hesitantly justifies her act by the fact that they might die, and she does not know anything about him.
This is Ben's wife's farewell tape …
Painful silence, guilt, shame and pain. Alex asks forgiveness for having treacherously invaded Ben's life. She realizes that she touched on something that she shouldn't have. She went to the very depths of Ben's heartache, his despair.
Her act, her sincere sympathy, their closeness seemed to reveal Ben's enduring longing. Alex shared his sadness with him. He shared with her that his wife did not just leave, she fell ill and became his patient, and he could not save her.
Having lost touch with a loved one, we lose support. Emotional connection, which made it possible for sensual fulfillment. Sometimes we need solitude, no doubt, but not loneliness. A person is able to be happy only in connection with his own kind. Understanding and supportive love fills our existence with joy. A loved one, like a missing puzzle, becomes a necessary element of understanding the world.
He opens his eyes. "Alex …". Consciousness brings him back to the hospital reality. His thoughts switch to her - he rushes into the ward and … meets her fiancé.
She returns to her well-established life and is trying to join the channel in which she lived before. But, having become completely different, he understands that this is impossible …
Only after several months of silence Ben received an envelope with a note: "You are the only one who can understand these photos."
Instead of an epilogue
At first glance, this is a completely ordinary film with an uncomplicated plot: two people met. The story is really banal, but what could be more important than human relations?
In the modern world, a person is able to reach unprecedented heights in many areas of life. We become professionals, masters of our craft, build a profitable business, serve humanity. Our life is filled with hobbies in accordance with our needs, we travel and breathe deeply. But few can boast that his life is a full cup without a happy pairing relationship. Human needs human. Only by realizing in close relationships, we are able to feel 100% happy.
We build relationships by relying on natural attraction, but this is not enough now. The time has come for a relationship that is deeper and more penetrating than before. A relationship built on a strong emotional connection and focus on a loved one. What does it mean? This means understanding a person, his characteristics, his desires, his thoughts and feelings. To live with him his pain and joy. By creating relationships at a level where the border between us is erased and we become a single organism.
Now it has become available. Yuri Burlan's training "System-Vector Psychology" allows you to very accurately learn to understand human nature. Understand the desires and characteristics of the psyche, thoughts, feelings, dreams. Knowing and understanding, we can truly be close to each other.
Let's go back to our heroes. Their journey was filled with danger, but most importantly, they stood on the very edge - on the edge of life and death. It is in such conditions that an understanding of the value of life as Life itself comes.
Ben is a lonely person, closed from the whole world, with a deep gaze full of sadness. Since the death of his wife, his sensual life has stopped. Emotional unfulfillment, loneliness led to a joyless existence.
When he received the photographs, he very clearly defined his state: "I felt alive." There, in the mountains, with practically no hope of salvation, he felt alive thanks to the closeness of another person.
Alex helped Ben get through his excruciating heartache over the loss of his wife by simply being there, empathizing with all her heart, and living his pain as her own. I opened my heart to him, thereby creating a strong thread of trust.
Relationship with another person, love of another person gives space for a happy life. Allowing to hear our heart, we ourselves begin to feel those around us, firmly connecting with the world. And now a living person tells an interesting story, filling every minute of his life with meaning.
