Over and over again I come across films where the viewing public seem to fail to grasp the vision of the director. This is one such film.
I've seen criticisms in reviews such as "only 8 minutes to get to the mountain". The point is, the two characters are strangers to each other, and likewise they are strangers to us. If their characters were better developed, we'd know too much about them. Instead their characters are unfolded through the story, in a way which lets us discover who they are at roughly the same rate as they're discovering each other as people, and as survival companions.
And as for "the last 25 minutes were unnecessary", I disagree. The story needs to slow down, once they're back in civilisation trying to get on with the everyday lives they lived before. But after that shared experience, things seem empty. You can't rush this part of the story, or you simply won't tell the story. Thankfully the director allowed the characters to tell their stories, to show us that life couldn't simply continue as before, that something was missing for both of them.
As for an unrealistic descent from the mountain... not really. It generally is a matter of finding a navigable path and getting to lower altitudes, then finding shelter, fresh water and food. Perhaps the least realistic part was eating snow to get water - it's really not advisable as your main source, though it was only shown the once.
Great characterisation and acting from both Winslet and Elba. But great directing and storytelling from the director too.
I've seen criticisms in reviews such as "only 8 minutes to get to the mountain". The point is, the two characters are strangers to each other, and likewise they are strangers to us. If their characters were better developed, we'd know too much about them. Instead their characters are unfolded through the story, in a way which lets us discover who they are at roughly the same rate as they're discovering each other as people, and as survival companions.
And as for "the last 25 minutes were unnecessary", I disagree. The story needs to slow down, once they're back in civilisation trying to get on with the everyday lives they lived before. But after that shared experience, things seem empty. You can't rush this part of the story, or you simply won't tell the story. Thankfully the director allowed the characters to tell their stories, to show us that life couldn't simply continue as before, that something was missing for both of them.
As for an unrealistic descent from the mountain... not really. It generally is a matter of finding a navigable path and getting to lower altitudes, then finding shelter, fresh water and food. Perhaps the least realistic part was eating snow to get water - it's really not advisable as your main source, though it was only shown the once.
Great characterisation and acting from both Winslet and Elba. But great directing and storytelling from the director too.