The movie follows Kyle Pratt (played by Jodie Foster), a grieving widow and aircraft engineer, who is traveling with her young daughter, Julia (played by Marlene Lawston), from Berlin to New York City. Kyle is still mourning the death of her husband, David (played by John Benjamin Hickey), who fell to his death from their apartment window.
During the flight, Kyle falls asleep, and when she wakes up, she discovers that her daughter Julia is missing. Frantic and desperate, Kyle searches the plane for Julia, but no one on board remembers seeing her daughter, and there is no record of Julia being on the passenger manifest.
As Kyle’s panic escalates, she becomes increasingly convinced that Julia has been abducted. However, Captain Rich (played by Sean Bean) and the flight crew doubt Kyle’s claims, suspecting that she may be suffering from delusions or hallucinations due to her recent trauma.
Kyle’s desperate search for her daughter leads to a tense standoff with the crew and passengers, who begin to question her sanity. Despite their doubts, Kyle remains determined to uncover the truth and find her daughter, enlisting the help of a sympathetic flight attendant, Stephanie (played by Kate Beahan), and an air marshal, Gene Carson (played by Peter Sarsgaard).
In a series of shocking twists, it’s revealed that Julia was not abducted but was actually killed in the fall from their apartment window. Kyle, consumed by grief and denial, has been experiencing hallucinations and delusions, projecting her daughter’s presence onto the plane.
In the climax of the film, Kyle confronts her own trauma and accepts the truth about her daughter’s death. With the help of Gene Carson, she comes to terms with her grief and begins the long process of healing.
In the end, Kyle is escorted off the plane by authorities, having finally faced the reality of her daughter’s death. The film concludes with Kyle leaving the airport, beginning her journey toward acceptance and recovery.
Overall, “Flightplan” is a gripping and suspenseful thriller that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats with its twists and turns. Jodie Foster delivers a powerful performance as a mother grappling with loss and grief, making the film a compelling exploration of trauma, paranoia, and the lengths a parent will go to protect their child.