Row 19 (2021)

Row 19 takes a familiar fear—being trapped on a turbulent overnight flight—and turns it into a pressure-cooker nightmare where every flicker of cabin light feels like a warning. Alexander Babaev keeps the suspense tight and claustrophobic, letting the half-empty plane become a haunted corridor of dread as inexplicable deaths ripple through the passengers and a mother’s grip on reality frays in unsettling, emotionally charged ways. Svetlana Ivanova anchors the film with a grounded, protective intensity, and the story has a knack for springing twists that feel like clever evolutions of horror tropes rather than cheap tricks. It’s a grim, jumpy ride with some gnarly moments and severe intensity, so it won’t be for the squeamish—but if you like your thrillers stormy, supernatural, and relentlessly tense, this one earns its altitude.

Row 19 is clearly aiming for claustrophobic, in-the-air terror, mixing disaster-movie panic with a psychological ghost story about childhood trauma and a mother protecting her kid. The setup and stormy atmosphere do some solid work early on, and a few of the death scenes are nasty enough to satisfy viewers who want their plane thrillers mean and intense. But the film’s biggest problem is getting from that strong opening to the finish: it often drifts with uneven pacing, shaky performances, and plot beats that don’t always connect cleanly, making the reality-vs-hallucination angle feel more confusing than gripping. If you need tight logic, consistently strong acting, or a twist that feels earned, this one may test your patience; if you’re fine with messy storytelling as long as the mood is grim and the scares keep coming, you’ll get more out of it.