A luxury cruise, a mysterious scream in the night, and a witness no one believes. The Woman in Cabin 10 brings Keira Knightley back to the screen in a tense psychological thriller that draws on the language of modern espionage — secrecy, surveillance, and the fear of being watched. Directed by Simon Stone and based on Ruth Ware’s bestselling novel, the film follows Lo, a travel journalist whose dream assignment turns into a waking nightmare when she witnesses something she wasn’t meant to see — and begins to question what’s real.
Set almost entirely aboard an isolated cruise ship, the story unfolds like a closed-door intelligence operation, where information is controlled, identities are fragile, and truth becomes a liability. As suspicion tightens and perception starts to fracture, the film leans into the same psychological terrain explored by contemporary spy thrillers, where danger doesn’t come from action set pieces but from doubt itself. The trailer is at the bottom of the article.
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The Woman in Cabin 10 – all the key details
- Title: The Woman in Cabin 10
- Year: 2025
- Country of Production: United Kingdom
- Original Language: English
- Director: Simon Stone
- Cast: Keira Knightley, Guy Pearce, Hannah Waddingham, David Ajala, Gugu Mbatha-Raw
- Screenplay: Joe Shrapnel, Anna Waterhouse
- Genres: Thriller, Drama, Mystery
- Features: Disturbing, Suspenseful, Psychological
- Duration: Approximately 100 minutes
What The Woman in Cabin 10 is about
During a luxury cruise, Lo, a travel journalist, witnesses a woman being thrown overboard. However, when she reports the incident, she is told that no one is missing. Determined to uncover the truth, Lo embarks on an investigation that leads her to confront dark secrets and unexpected dangers.
Determined to uncover the truth, she begins a dangerous investigation, risking her own safety to overcome the silence – almost a code of silence – and skepticism surrounding her.
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The cast
Keira Knightley stars as Lo Blacklock, a travel journalist whose assignment aboard a luxury cruise ship takes a dark turn after she witnesses a disturbing event. Knightley, known for Atonement, The Imitation Game, and Love Actually, adds another psychological thriller to her diverse filmography.
Guy Pearce (Memento, L.A. Confidential) joins the cast as one of the enigmatic passengers whose true intentions remain unclear. Hannah Waddingham, recognized for her Emmy-winning role in Ted Lasso, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw (The Morning Show, Surface) complete the ensemble, bringing a mix of prestige and international recognition to the production. The film is directed by Simon Stone, whose previous work includes The Dig.
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The Woman in Cabin 10 – review
Set aboard a lavish yacht cutting through the North Sea, The Woman in Cabin 10 transforms luxury into a claustrophobic trap. What begins as a dream assignment for journalist Lo Blacklock, played by Keira Knightley, quickly curdles into paranoia when she becomes convinced she has witnessed a murder that no one else will acknowledge. The film leans heavily into psychological unease, using narrow corridors, reflective surfaces, and controlled performances to blur the line between perception and reality. As Lo is dismissed, doubted, and quietly gaslit, the viewer is drawn into her destabilized perspective, where fear feeds on isolation and certainty becomes impossible. The yacht itself becomes a symbol of entrapment — elegant, sealed, and indifferent.
Beyond its suspense mechanics, the film carries a sharp thematic undercurrent about the systematic dismissal of women’s voices. Lo’s intuition is reframed as instability, her insight reduced to hysteria, echoing a long cultural tradition of mistrusting women who speak of danger. While the story occasionally leans on familiar genre beats and some twists feel predictable in a post-2020 thriller landscape, the film remains effective in atmosphere and intent. Its polished visuals and controlled tension may favor elegance over surprise, but The Woman in Cabin 10 ultimately stands as a gripping psychological thriller, conscious of its cinematic lineage and anchored by a quietly unsettling performance at its core.
Read our full review ► The Woman in Cabin Number 10: a haunting descent into fear, illusion, and paranoia – REVIEW
Is it a true story?
Despite its unsettling realism, The Woman in Cabin 10 is not based on real events. The film is adapted from Ruth Ware’s bestselling novel of the same name, a work of fiction that drew widespread acclaim for its blend of psychological suspense and locked-room mystery. While the story is invented, its themes — isolation, gaslighting, and the fear of not being believed — resonate strongly because they reflect real social dynamics, which is why the film often feels disturbingly plausible.
Release date
The Woman in Cabin Number 10 is available on Netflix starting October 10, 2025.
Be ready ► WATCH ON NETFLIX
The trailer
This article is part of Streamingmania’s ongoing coverage of spy TV series and movies, from classic espionage icons to modern intelligence thrillers.
