It’s yet another Saturday night, and we’ve got nowhere to go. As we settle into another month of social distancing, cabin fever might be setting in as you find yourself wanting to escape from the confines of your home to the great outdoors, from your bedroom to the living room or maybe from reality to a fictional universe.
We’ve compiled a list of movies in which the characters are also wishing to escape. Hopefully, you become immersed in these films and briefly forget all that we might be trying to “escape” from.
“Panic Room” (2002)
On their first night in their new home, a mother Meg Altman (Jodie Foster) and daughter Sarah (a young Kristen Stewart) must seek solace in their home’s “panic room,” as intruders break in to steal money hidden in the house by the previous owners. As Meg and Sarah attempt to remain calm within the safety of the panic room, they quickly learn the burglars are not going to leave without putting up a fight.
Available to stream on Hulu with Showtime and on Showtime
“Green Room” (2016)
Punk rock band, the Aint Rights’, score a gig opening for another band at a local bar outside Portland, but after stumbling upon a violent act in the venue’s green room, they become trapped. Panic ensues as the owners and other patrons attempt to keep the band held captive while erasing any traces of the crime.
Available to stream on Netflix
“Midsommar” (2019)
Ari Aster’s dizzying midsummer horror set in a picturesque Swedish commune follows Dani (Florence Pugh), who has just suffered more in one night than most people will in a lifetime. Visiting the commune with her unsupportive boyfriend, Dani is embraced by this cult of barefoot, flower crown wearing Swedes who provide her with the twisted solace she needs to finally achieve lasting happiness.
Available to stream on Amazon Prime
“Snowpiercer” (2013)
From recent Academy Award winning director Bong Joon-ho, this feature takes place in 2031 amidst an ice age which has resulted in the earth’s population being forced into the confines of the “Snowpiercer”—a train barreling around the globe. Passengers on the train are segregated by class, with the poorest subjected to horrible conditions in the train’s tail. Fed up with life in the train’s tail, a revolt led by Curtis (Chris Evans) attempts to travel to the front of the train to demand better conditions.
Available to stream on Netflix
“Ex Machina” (2014)
After Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson), a software programmer, wins a contest allowing him to spend a week with his firm’s brilliant CEO (Oscar Isaac), he learns he was chosen to take part in a Turing test, a method of determining if artificial intelligence is capable of thinking like a human being. As he spends time with Ava, the AI system, Caleb comes to understand the limitless capabilities of AI and the CEO’s approach to furthering the limits of technology.
Available to stream on Netflix
“Shawshank Redemption” (1994)
Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is sentenced to two consecutive life sentences in Shawshank State Penitentiary after being convicted of the murder of his wife and her lover, a crime he insists he did not commit. During his time in Shawshank, he befriends Red (Morgan Freeman) and other prisoners experiencing the most painful and liberating years of his life.
Available to stream on Netflix
“The Breakfast Club” (1985)
John Hughes’ 80s classic follows five high-schoolers who become unlikely friends during a Saturday detention. Under the watchful yet careless eye of the school principal (Paul Gleason), they learn about each other and about themselves. “In the simplest terms” they’re “a brain, an athlete, a basketcase, a princess and a criminal.”
Available to stream on Hulu
