Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (May 25, 2022)
Given that they take place in locations from which one cannot easily depart, most airplane-based movies focus on the claustrophobia of the setting. That becomes a factor with 2021’s Row 19, a Russian horror-thriller.
In 2001, 7-year-old Ekaterina “Katya” Rykova (Vitalia Kornienko) turned into the sole survivor of a plane crash. 20 years later, the adult Katya (Svetlana Ivanova) remains the object of ongoing media fascination, though she moves on with her life as a psychologist and as the mother of six-year-old Diana (Martha Kessler).
When Katya and Diana take an overnight flight, they encounter unexpected terror, as passengers on the sparsely-populated jet begin to die for unexplained reasons. This leads Katya down a dark path, as she begins to believe that these events act as a reflection of her troubled past.
As noted at the start, the confined, inescapable setting of an airplane flight leaves it ripe for tense exploration. At the genre’s best, these themes can create a dark drama that punches us in the gut since most of us maintain some inherent fear of the helplessness that comes with the lack of control we experience during air travel.
Despite the natural advantages Row 19 enjoys as a thriller, it largely squanders its positives. Instead, we find a mess of a movie that lacks coherence or any real impact.
At its core, Row should deliver psychological horror. We should wonder if we encounter actual supernatural elements or if Katya instead goes through a mental breakdown.
Rather than explore those paths, Row opts for the easy route. This means lots of urgent music and jump scares but little in terms of real tension.
Row wears its influences on its sleeve. Anticipate that you’ll find ample helpings of movies like Flightplan as well as the “gremlin” episode of Twilight Zone and other airplane-based thrillers.
Despite all those connections, Row could find its own path. Unfortunately, it remains relentlessly derivative.
Which I might not mind so much if Row managed some excitement or scares. Since the entire story plays out in a trite manner, though, it becomes exceedingly difficult to care what happens.
On the positive side, Ivanova invests in her role well. She manages to add a sense of reality to the silliness.
Ivanova can’t save this dud, though. Even at a mere 78 minutes, Row feels padded and slow. Tack on an anti-climactic “shock” ending and the movie flops.
