User reviews

Row 19 is a very much a slow burn film. Indeed I'd go so far as to say it could have done and said, a little more. It feels at times, almost as empty, as the plane its set in.

That said, its ending, although brief is poignant enough to make up for the films other shortcomings.

Worth a watch if you are a patient. For those craving jumps scares and lots of action, Id suggest this is not for you.

5/10.

And of course I found this movie on my favorite streaming service Tubi. I love Tubi because it has all of the f-z list movies that crave my guilty pleasure. Row 19 did not disappoint with feeding my appetite.

As another reviewer said, this movie was unique. The storyline was much different from the typical movies I am used to. I actually enjoyed it, though slow paced and you find yourself kind of like, ugh get to the point already.

I won't ruin with any spoilers but I do have to say the one thing that distracted me throughout the entire movie is the daughter, who is 6 (you learn of her in the movie description) was voiced by what sounded like a 20 year old woman. That was really annoying and after getting used to it, I could somewhat thoroughly enjoy the movie. I just wish they would have had an age appropriate voiceover actor, read her lines. It was awkward hearing this 20 year old voice say "mommy" from a 6 year old face. Though the actress herself looks at least 10.

After boarding a flight, a woman and her daughter heading home to visit her family are confronted by a series of strange supernatural figures hinting at the same figures that left her the sole survivor of an earlier plane crash are back and must sort out her horrific visions to keep them alive.

This was a pretty solid overall genre effort. Among the better features here is the intriguing setup that provides this one with a solid setup with plenty of likable factors. With a lot of great work here involving her backstory of surviving the original crash while the current setup featuring her fear of flying and general unease with the status of the flight creates a fun setup with the first half of the film. Taking the cue of the usual motions found in these kinds of efforts about the general sense of discomfort once the visions start happening provides a nice furthering of these issues by creating a highly effective atmosphere within the plane going forward. That leads to a lot of fun here with the rather impressive setups designed to showcase something that may be happening on the flight with her and the rest of the passengers. The shots of the strange demonic beings in the various seats around the plane or the clawed hands pounding on the windows that go alongside with some decent enough kill scenes on the other passengers which offers the kind of setup works rather well. The grounded approach inside the plane as well as the eventual reveal of the whole affair makes for a fun tone as the events become more terrifying, and with a breakneck approach to the pacing here there's a lot to like here. The film does have some big issues. The main factor here is the rather flimsy and generally unimpressive storyline that tells a highly predictable type of setup where the type of scenes that emerge are rather suspect and familiar. The whole idea of the supernatural curse being in play once again at a special anniversary of the initial scaring incident coming back around is an over-done concept that doesn't have any impact in the long run with very little of this requiring a running time to portray this. As the film goes along, there's not a whole lot to offer up in terms of changing that up which makes this feel overly repetitive and familiar. This ties very heavily in the other flaw where its finale is so overly predictable and familiar that it's really hard to be impressed by what's happened. This one tends to go for the most obvious route here in exploring how the past trauma of her survival has to come to pass in one form or another which is a rather pedestrian way of doing this. Very little of this will be unique to viewers who are able to piece together the storyline based on how familiar this overall concept will be since it plays rather comfortably within the parameters of the style, but that's pretty much all that hold this one down.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language and Violence.

The synopsis for the 2021 thriller "Ryad 19" (aka "Row 19") sounded interesting, and I also liked the movie's cover. I had not heard about this thriller from writer James Rabb and director Alexander Babaev prior to sitting down to watch it, so I didn't know what I was in for here.

Well, this movie was unique. Let's just call it that. But I didn't find it particularly enjoyable or entertaining. The movie's storyline felt like a collection of the writer's nightmares penned down on paper and given to the director. Much of it didn't really make much of any sense, and felt like random fragments shot independently by different directors that weren't working on the same script. So there was a sense of chaotic randomness and a lack of coherent red thread throughout the course of the movie.

Visually then "Ryad 19" was good, but special effects and CGI is only worth so much without a proper storyline forming around them. And "Ryad 19" was lacking just that.

The acting performances in "Ryad 19" were good, despite the fact that the storyline felt like rubbish to me. I wasn't familiar with the cast at all in this movie.

I didn't finish this movie, because I simply gave up on the storyline as it fell short of capturing my interesting. So it was somewhat of a swing and a miss from writer James Rabb and director Alexander Babaev.

My rating of "Ryad 19" lands on a generous three out of ten stars.

The story itself isn't the worst because the premise is decent, with a survivor of an airplane crash having to relive her worst nightmare on an airplane. It does have a decent build-up to it, but the pacing is off with current scenes and doesn't leave an impact on the movie, or it happened pretty quickly. The movie itself fails to be creepy by showing generic creepy images throughout and cheap jump scares. Also, the passenger of the airplane is slowly killed off one by one, which isn't a bad idea but is poorly executed. There's also the backstory of the main character, which does a decent job of developing the character. The ending itself is pretty confusing on what just happened. I think there's a meaning to it, and I somewhat guess what happened, but it makes the plot even more confusing.

This was am interesting watch with an intriguing story line that will keep you watching and guessing until the end. Acting is good throughout. Perhaps less gore than the average American horror movie these days, but more suspenseful. I enjoyed it.

This wouldn't have happened if there was a no fly zone ... alright let me stop myself right here. Because a) you may find this joke inappropriate (sorry for that) and b) it might not make too much sense in the future - which frankly I wouldn't mind. A no fly zone can work anytime - for reasons not related to what some (many) call war.

That being said, let's get back to what is important. This is a horror movie from Russia - no pun intended, which I reckon I have to say in this time and age. It takes notes from other psychological horror movies and it does try to copy the best of them. Does not really succeed all the way through, but it still maintains to be creepy and tension filled enough to work overall ... if you let it that is. Suspension of disbelief ... with a predictable story and an ending that you probably guessed right after the movie started ... or somewhere in between (no pun intended)

I chose to watch Row 19 because of its short runtime (77 minutes) and because the synopsis sounded interesting. And indeed, it turned out to be an intriguing Russian supernatural thriller with some unexpected plot twists. I often found myself guessing what kind of turn the movie would take next based on the hints we, as viewers, are given, but it was surprisingly difficult.

Some of the characters are quite unique, and if the acting had been better, I would rate this higher. Unfortunately, none of the cast delivers a stellar performance. The emotionless acting might just be the Russian style-who knows? Another annoying aspect, also pointed out by others, is the English voiceover for the little girl. She really sounds like an adult, and I wonder if they couldn't find anyone better suited.

All in all, I could certainly have spent that 1 hour and 17 minutes in a worse way than watching Row 19. I also learned that, in Russia, there's apparently an airline that flies with just a few passengers onboard, even when all other flights are canceled for the day. But putting that peculiar and illogical aspect aside, I enjoyed the movie and would recommend it to anyone looking for a short and entertaining movie experience.

I watched this one in an English dubbed version. I must say, it's a bit different. I am not claiming I completely got the movie,but when I thought about it as the titles roled I was thiy well yes, it's a different movie. The storyline is very vague but it's more of a physiological horror, it makes you think. I enjoyed the movie, screenplay, acting and production quality is not bad. Some idiots hating it here on IMDB are fools, they should rather appreciate the effort director and story board have come up with.

Not a bad way to pass a dull evening, enjoy. It deserves a better and mature viewing and rating too.

When the translation of the title simply takes its meaning out of context (in time, Row 19 is the row of seats the survivor was in, and which her daughter always says is hers) A Russian horror film, in the style of "Final Destination", a little slower and less interesting, could have delved more into the terror and the passengers and less into the protagonist's thoughts and delusions, the premise is interesting, with only reasonable execution...

A doctor on a night flight comes across mysterious deaths among the passengers while losing touch with reality and revisiting a childhood nightmare, all while taking care of her young daughter.

The short: Well crafted story told in a short time with good use of the "huit-clos". Watch in original Russian is a must.

The long: I am not even going to attempt doing a "proper" review because I think I am ill-equipped to do one at this point concerning this specific film.

Indulge me with this bit: Being bilingual I always enjoy when films where characters speak in my original mother tongue (not Russian) and see how the on-screen subtitles "interprets" them. For example the TV shows "Three Pines" and "The Sticky", where these were shot in English, but also have characters speak in "French", or rather Québécois.

The "lingo" of each language is unique, and more often than not when reading subtitles (or a translated version) we get, at best, an interpretation crafted to fit with the scene and dialogue more than a real actual (literal) translation.

So I always get a chuckle or a blown out hard laugh when I hear characters speaking in Québécois and reading how it was translated in English in the subtitles, because (especially in Québécois, I guess) some expressions are just too unique and there is not an exact "other language" translation.

This is also why I refuse to watch translated movies and always watch any film in their original language with subtitles. The original language showcases exactly how good (or bad) the actors are, and how they use said language to convey emotion.

RYAD 19, while not without it's flaws, is most definitely is a better movie in it's original language even though I felt that, at times, the "translation" (subtitles) did not exactly convey what the characters were saying, for the above mentioned reasons.

That being said the film basically wastes no time per se getting right into the story, presenting us with an introductory scene which explains precisely the lead character's personality in the remainder of the movie.

Quite cleverly actually the character is slowly unraveling before our eyes through her actions in the "now" and never once feels like there is a need for overdrawn-out scenes of exposition. The film mostly does this through visuals.

The film also benefits for being mostly an ensemble cast as most of it is set in an enclosed environment, where our characters are stuck in with each other, without outside contact or communication... and yes, I have been a fan of "huit-clos" environments in films for a very, very long time.

The film also benefits from not trying to rely too much on special effects in order to build it's atmosphere. Yes there are moments when CGI is required due to the subject matter itself, and to also help bridge the gap between reality and "imaginary", but the film never overuses it just for the sake of doing so.

Intriguingly I also felt the film wasn't trying to overdo trying to express it's own "culture" (as many non-USA productions sometimes can) but tried to feel like an "international" mood. Obviously there are social mores in the film which may feel a bit "alien" to people who aren't versed in international cinema, but these felt rather minimal for the most part.

Perhaps the greatest strength of the film is not revealing all it's cards within the first "acts", leaving most viewers guessing for the most part. Granted when trying to craft a story as this one, it is difficult for some not to pick up on subtle clues left by the film maker, so some viewers may see the "end reveal" coming a mile away.

What also plays in the film's favor is it's short running time. Instead of padding it with overly expanded scenes which could maybe provide more in terms of character development or their relationships to each other, the film prefers to quickly establish them, and get the story rolling.

Maybe that is one of the film's flaws: the characters are quickly presented and feel rather 2-dimentional and "the usual stereotypes" you find in many films. I won't spoil it for you but surely as soon as we get the ensemble presented you will immediately be able to guess who is who and what they'll eventually end up "being" in the story. However as previously said, the film doesn't try to go off the rails nor to give you detailed characters, just enough of them to get the story going.

However the acting is great. Every actor plays their part well and all make it quite believable. Kudos to "the little girl" who ends up quite remarkable and never feels like she is not the character she portrays.

There was one moment early on where I had to pause and said to myself (concerning the score) "This feels like Bernard Herrmann with waves of John Barry". This was unfortunately an anomaly as the film score isn't consistent in terms of style, but is in no way detrimental to it. In fact the score does a great job of augmenting and supplementing the various moods and atmospheres during the film, so a special commendation is noted to that department.

So while not a masterpiece, and still considered a "horror-thriller", the film is not just competent on all aspects, but is also feels as though there is some heart and soul into it, where it could have easily fallen into the "schlock" department. The subject matter is treated with care and dignity, the story is well crafted and allows for slow moments lingering on images making you wonder if things are as they appear to be.

In conclusions, watch it in it's original Russian with subtitles and allow yourself to be "entertained" with an uncommon yet accessible narrative, in the hopes you will allow the film's cinematographic "language" speak it's mood and atmosphere to you.

I was pleasantly surprised with this little wonder. Overall film is worthy of 7/10 but I added 2 pts. For the original writing; another 2 pts. Because it starts out as a supernatural thriller (I'd refrain from calling it horror,) where anti-hero is in fact a hero in disguise and ends as a poignant touching drama. Plot offers lots of twists. While watching, one goes through a diverse range of emotions. You question true nature of what makes a person evil or what qualifies one as a villain?

Certainly a memorable thriller that I'd be revisiting in years to come.

It is a hidden gem among all clichè-ridden films that populate thriller genre nowadays.

Row 19 (2021) - 5 Stars on Amazon Prime Russian Psychological Thriller

In one oversimplified sentence, Row 19 is about a mother and daughter on a flight that faces countless, nerve-wracking challenges. However, saying much more would risk giving away the twists, and honestly, I'm not sure I could fully explain it anyway-it's that layered. This movie is an underrated gem that many might overlook, but it's absolutely worth your time.

I had Row 19 on my watchlist for over a year and even started it once or twice but couldn't focus due to the subtitles (thanks, ADHD distractions!). Today, I finally made myself sit down and watch it, and wow-what an incredible film.

I'm a huge fan of movies that use a limited set-this one mostly takes place on the plane-and still manage to deliver something extraordinary. This movie showcases how much creativity and tension filmmakers can achieve with a small-scale setting. At only an hour and 15 minutes, it's amazing how much story and intrigue they pack into such a short runtime.

What really stands out is how the film subtly drops clues throughout. Little details pop up that make you question what's really going on, though you might dismiss them at first as stylistic choices. The layers and depth become clearer as the movie progresses, and by the end, it's surprisingly heartfelt. The writing, acting, and pacing are all on point, pulling you in from start to finish.

If this has been sitting on your list like it was on mine, now is the time to give it a chance. And if it's not on your radar yet, add it immediately. Row 19 is a sleeper hit that absolutely deserves more attention.

ROW 19 (2021) A Russian horror Psychological Thriller with an Unexpected Ending.

Directed by Alexander Babaev. Written by James Rabb. Story of a Mother and Daughter caught on a delayed night flight.

This is an interesting film from the start, with an intriguing storyline that will keep you guessing until the end. All the credit goes to the Technical teams, the Sound Design, Camera Works, and the Production Designers.

As a first-time Flight passenger, I had gone through some trauma, all those feelings were brought back by the filmmakers in this movie. (So Aerophobic people beware, this movie might not be suitable for you, even the inside sound Design of the Cabin is so Haunting)

All the actors had done a great job. The Film is available in both Russian and English Dubbed versions. (Watch the Original Russian verson, English Dubb lacked the Sound Aura)

Positives - Unpredicted Ending

Negatives - Paranormal Ending

I gave this movie 8 out of 10.