The Woman in Booth 10 Makes One Big Change from the Book (and It Doesn’t Quite Work)

Don’t board any luxury ocean liner if you haven’t watched the movie “The Woman in Cabin 10” on Netflix or read Ruth Ware’s book of the same name; Spoilers, like icebergs, lie ahead!

Things change in the process of adaptation All the timeAs someone who loves a good thriller novel and is always excited to see it One of my favorites is being made into a movie or TV showI’m used to this phenomenon. With that in mind, when I settled in to watch the Netflix original film “The Woman in Cabin 10,” an adaptation of Ruth Weir’s 2016 thriller about a journalist who suddenly finds herself in danger aboard a luxury liner, I expected to see some changes and differences. But one of the biggest twists was something I really didn’t expect.

Let me go back for a moment and talk about the general idea of ​​”The Woman in Cabin 10.” The film stars Keira Knightleyfresh from her lead role in the first season of the Netflix series “Black Doves,” said journalist Lauren “Lo” Blacklock, who was invited to cover the maiden voyage of the aforementioned cruise ship alongside a group of elite guests. Brought together by the wealthy Richard Bulmer (Guy Pearce) and his wife Anne (Lisa Lovin Kongsley), who is coming to terms with her terminal cancer diagnosis, the group aboard the Aurora – including Lou – are happily exploring the pool and spa until tragedy strikes. When Lo hears a struggle and a splash of water, she is sure that someone has gone overboard and they are also Sure enough, it was a mysterious woman she met in the ship’s 10th cabin named Carrie (Jet Witt), only to be told that no one was staying in cabin 10 at all.

So where is the change? It is about Lo’s status as an unreliable narrator. In the book, Lou is subjected to a home invasion before leaving for the trip, and in the film, it is known that she witnessed a murder in her capacity as a journalist. So why, exactly, does this matter?

The full story of Ruth Ware’s book The Woman in Cabin 10 begins when Lou Blacklock faces a terrifying invasion of his home; We never know who the perpetrator is or why they targeted Lo, but the importance of this robbery is that it helps establish the kind of narrator Lo will be throughout the rest of the book. Not only are the police very rude to her during questioning, based on the fact that she claims the house invader stole the medicine from her bathroom, but it also perfectly establishes Lo’s level of paranoia before she even gets on the boat. behind WhichLou, who narrates the book, freely admits that she drinks a bit and does so on and off the ship, which also helps play with her believability as a narrator and character (for the latter, what I mean is that the other characters in The Aurora don’t immediately believe her because she comes off as some kind of mess).

While I certainly understand the show’s desire to put all its running time on board, the way it goes about resolving this problem is ultimately very frustrating. As Lou interacts with guests like Heidi (Hannah Waddingham), Adam (Daniel Ings), and her ex-boyfriend Ben (David Ajala), who also happens to be on the boat, they mention to her that they know she saw a murdered woman after interviewing her for an investigative report. We see some dramatic flashback shots of a screaming, unidentified woman in her car as it sinks into a body of water, but beyond that, we don’t get much attention. details. Sure, this helps Lo seem at least “paranoid,” but it doesn’t make her a truly unreliable narrator, to be honest.

That’s the thing. I understand that “a woman who loves wine may not remember things” is a very common trope in thriller novels – So much so that it was parodied in the Netflix series “The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window.” -It can also deflect the attack. However, we kind of miss the thread of Lo’s obvious unreliability in this adaptation of “The Woman in Cabin 10.” Without the element of Lo’s unnamed medication and drinking habits, the murder Lo witnesses doesn’t really have any strong narrative impact, which is why this change ultimately doesn’t work as an adaptation.

Not only that, but what effect does Lo witnessing a murder have on literally anything? Why don’t we learn enough about the murder for it to matter? The answer here is that it is a plot device inserted into the narrative to hastily replace the robbery story, but narratively it is unsatisfying and evasive, giving the audience no interest. TRUE Reason to doubt Lou. The fact that the other people on the Aurora immediately doubt her and her belief that someone was pushed off the boat and into the icy sea doesn’t make much sense either. until if Lo suffers from PTSD, they suggest, which doesn’t mean she’s an unreliable narrator for either the audience or the characters around her on screen; It just means she saw something terrible and is still grappling with the after effects. Lo’s character needed a more obvious reason to seem suspicious, excessive alcohol consumption coupled with a recent home invasion He works In the book. Change doesn’t work in the movie.

To be honest, “The Woman in Cabin 10” is an enjoyable enough adaptation of Ruth Weir’s book, but this change delays things a bit. However, “The Woman in Cabin 10” is now streaming on Netflix.

If you or someone you know needs help with addiction problems, help is available. Visit Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website Or call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

If you or someone you know needs mental health help, please contact Crisis text line By texting HOME to 741741, call the number National Alliance on Mental Illness Helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit National Institute of Mental Health website.