Curve

Mallory is en route to Denver for her wedding rehearsal when her car breaks down and she can't reach AAA due to poor service. She video chats with her sister Ella, who questions whether Mallory is truly happy with her decision. Mallory tries to sound confident on camera, but the roadside breakdown foreshadows a tense, precarious situation ahead.

On the road, a man named Christian appears and helps start her car, and Mallory reluctantly offers him a ride. His manners turn prickly quickly as he hints that fate brought them together and insists they continue the journey. The uneasy dynamic sets the stage for what follows.

Christian becomes controlling and makes a crude remark about their meeting. When Mallory objects, he pulls a knife and orders her to drive. In a desperate bid to escape, she speeds toward a guardrail, the car flips, and she wakes trapped with her leg pinned.

Mallory struggles to free herself, unclips her seatbelt, but her leg remains trapped inside the wreck. She is left alone as Christian briefly awakens, then leaves her to face the peril. With dwindling options, she must endure the environment and conserve what little water she has.

The following morning, Christian returns and eats and drinks in front of her, calmly treating the situation as if nothing happened. He keeps up his unsettling talk about fate as Mallory endures in the cramped car. That night, rats slip in, and she kills one, eats a strip of its meat, and drinks her own urine to survive.

Christian reveals he’s holding a family hostage and presents Mallory with a saw, claiming she must cut off her own leg to survive. He explains that he doesn’t expect her to break through the door and that the decision is hers alone. The gravity of her choice becomes terrifyingly real.

That night a heavy rainstorm hits, and Christian comes to say his goodbyes. Mallory attacks him to gain control and then hurls his car keys far away so he cannot easily pursue her. The escape attempt is interrupted by the storm and the danger surrounding them.

A police car pulls up on a curve nearby and the officer agrees to give Christian a ride. He ignores Mallory’s screams, mistakenly thinking they’re imagined, and drives away with Christian in his car. The chance for rescue slips away as the car disappears into the night.

As floodwaters begin to rise, Mallory tries to cut her leg but only makes superficial incisions. Finally, the water's pressure helps loosen the pins and frees her leg. She crawls toward the cabin, determined to confront the danger inside.

Mallory reaches the cabin and discovers that Christian has killed the homeowners and is holding their daughter Katie hostage. She finds a gun and positions herself, ready to stop Christian from harming Katie. The confrontation escalates as she asserts control of the situation.

Mallory and Christian fight; she pushes him off a second-story balcony, and he falls to a bear trap that crushes his leg. He dies from the injury, ending his terror. Mallory survives, but the ordeal leaves her battered and wary.

Mallory limps downstairs and, with Katie in tow, limps away from the cabin toward safety. They move toward the road as the front door slams shut behind them, signaling a grim but hopeful escape. The future remains uncertain, but they have each other now.