Movie Review: '6 Below: Miracle on the Mountain'

Survival movies are some of my most favorite types of films. If they're based on a true story, even better. I actually didn't know that this one was based on Eric LeMarque's story when I pulled it up in my queue on Hulu. Eric LeMarque is a former hockey player who got involved in drugs and spiraled out of control. He had to lose his way to find it again. His story is heart wrenching, fascinating, and inspiring. CBN did a wonderful interview with him a couple of years back. Eric goes into detail about his emotions while this movie was being filmed. It's definitely worth a read!

The movie stars Josh Hartnett and Mira Sorvino who plays Eric's heartbroken, faith-driven mother who only wants to see her son have hope again. Josh Hartnett as Eric is convincing as a drug addict who only cares about the adrenaline rush, which is why he's addicted to snowboarding as well as meth.

Eric is six days away from an important court hearing when he gets trapped on a mountain in the Sierras for eight days after getting lost in a whiteout while snowboarding. That's where the main scope of this story starts, and while I really liked Hartnett's portrayal, the mountain scenes went on a bit longer than necessary, in my opinion. There were long minutes of watching him crawl through snow, and I would rather have seen more of his mother. When she came into the picture, determined to find her missing son, the story really picked up.

Much of LeMarque's childhood is told in flashbacks, and it's his determination not to fail, brought on by his father's constant demands, that pushes him to survive while his body is dying. Hartnett's acting is spot-on as a man who is alone on the mountain in frigid weather with no one to talk to. He manages to overcome fear and loneliness, and detox from a powerful drug while drawing on strength reserves he probably didn't even know he had.

There are few secondary characters in the movie which is a shame. I would have loved to have seen more of LeMarque's story before his time on the mountain, and his interaction with others would have given the story more to work with. As it stands, the film is mostly a one-man show. Mira Sorvino doesn't get nearly enough screen time, and, for me, it would have enhanced the show to see her character have face-to-face interactions with her son. That doesn't happened, and they are relegated to missed phone connections, and a brief reunion toward the end of the movie.

The peeks at his childhood and young adulthood are tantalizing enough that I wanted to know more. When he walked off the ice after an argument with his hockey coach, what compelled him to not return with his father so adamant about not quitting? Did he ever have a relationship with his father as an adult? What happened to his father who doesn't appear during the present scenes? And how was Eric supporting his habit? Though these might not seem like questions that needed to be answered, in my opinion, they would have fleshed out the story a lot more.

In a lot of ways, 6 Below reminded me of Castaway with snow, at least in the tone of being a survival movie where the characters are trapped alone and have to make the best of a bad situation. Though Tom Hanks' character was lost for four years, and Josh Hartnett's for eight days, there are some similarities in the desperation experienced by both characters they portray.

There are a lot of scenes that lag, but they didn't lead me to turn off the movie early. I watched through to the end, and was able to see the real Eric LeMarque's new life after nearly dying on the mountain. He's making the most of his life now, and for that reason, I do recommend this movie if you enjoy inspirational journeys of overcoming addiction and survival in the darkest of circumstances.

#mirasorvino #joshhartnett #6below #miracleonthemountain #ericlemarque #survivalstories