Netflix’s new psychological thriller, “The Woman in Cabin 10”, directed by Simon Stone, follows Lo Blacklock (Keira Knightley), a tenacious investigative reporter still struggling with trauma after the murder of one of her sources on a big leak.
In search of a new beginning, Lo takes a writing gig on a three-day luxury cruise hosted by terminally ill billionaire Anne Bullmer (Lisa Loven Kongsli) and her husband Richard (Guy Pearce), who are initiating a charitable foundation.
What starts out as a working holiday soon turns ominous. Lo sees evidence that a person is occupying the supposedly unoccupied cabin alongside hers, cigarette stubs on her patio, and an unexpected meeting with an enigmatic woman in Cabin 10. She hears a commotion of a violent struggle during the night and witnesses a woman’s body tossed into the water.
But then, when she goes to report the crime, the crew denies that any such woman was on board. Harassed by a suspicious cast of characters, including her estranged boyfriend Ben (David Ajala), a gallerist with money on her mind (Hannah Waddingham), a rockstar (Paul Kaye), and others, Lo is gaslit at every step. As she tries to uncover the truth, the movie combines Flightplan and Agatha Christie-style whodunits, serving up a tense but ultimately predictable unraveling of deception, peril, and solitude at sea.
Is Netflix’s new original thriller based on a novel?
Yes, “The Woman in Cabin 10” is an adaptation of Ruth Ware’s top-selling novel. The movie takes great liberties with the source material though. Lo is reimagined as a self-assured, successful reporter, turning the thriller more sleek, less trauma-focused, and cinematic—but die-hards might spot some drastic changes.
