Flightplan (2005)

The story opens on a somber beginning: Kyle (Jodie Foster) and her daughter Julia (Marlene Lawston) prepare to fly home from Europe. Kyle's husband is dead, apparently from suicide. His body will be flown back, as well. Kyle and Julia are the first ones to board the plane.

After the plane is in the air, Kyle drifts off to sleep. When she awakes, Julia is not sitting next to her. When Kyle investigates, the flight crew claims they have not seen her. Kyle becomes frantic after a check of the passenger list reveals that Julia was never listed. The crew and the other passengers believe that Kyle is quite mad. The crew even has more reason to be suspicious when they learn that Kyle is very knowledgable about the plane's design--she is an engineer.

I thought this film was a psychological thriller from the way it was initially set up. It was very easy to believe that a widow's grief would lead her to think that she had a child who was non-existent. As Kyle's fear and determination grows, hints begin to surface that she may not be delusional after all. Little by little, the audience is moved to cheer on Kyle as she works to get to the bottom of the mystery.

Jodie Foster is an actress who has always taken on smart roles, even when she was a little girl. The fierce mother's instinct of her character was very well done by her. Erika Christensen (Swimfan) is one of the flight attendants who tries to deal with Kyle being upset. Sean Beam, who was Boromir in The Lord of The Rings movies, is the airplane captain.