When Kate Winslet and Idris Elba play two strangers whose plane crashes in the middle of the Rockies, there’s one of two things that can happen: Either they’ll run out of food and wind up fighting each other, or they’ll find some creative ways to keep warm. Adapted from the book by Charles Martin, the film marks the Hollywood debut of Palestinian director Hany Abu-Assad. Winslet stars as Alex and Elba as Ben. She’s a brave photojournalist who’s not afraid to take a few plunges in life, while he’s a British neurosurgeon* based in Baltimore. When the two meet at Salt Lake City airport after their flight is canceled, they charter* a plane together so that Alex can make it to her own wedding and Ben can attend an important conference. It seems like a good idea for about two minutes until their pilot (Beau Bridges) drives them into a storm and then suffers what seems to be a stroke*. Down they go, crash-landing atop a range of snowy peaks with only a few packs of almonds and a dog that somehow survives along with them. Alex broke her leg, but luckily the surgeon is able to fix it and also has the first-aid kit* at hand to do so. By the time Alex recovers, they’re running out of food and need to make a decision: Do they wait for a search party or venture* out into the wilderness? The script by Chris Weitz and J. Mills Goodloe smoothly jumps from one obstacle* to the next as the two are brought closer and closer together, cuddling up for support, especially when it seems like they’ll never make it out. Every so often, usually when things are just starting to look up*, the writers throw in a major monkey wrench* to up the stakes, with each hurdle helping to solder the would-be couple’s affection. The two actors easily incarnate* a pair of clever, extremely likeable characters who both deserve to survive and deserve each other. Cinematographer Mandy Walker captures the breathtaking settings (the film was shot in Canada) with widescreen compositions that plunge us into the middle of an endless snowy paradise. (SD-Agencies) | 