Elevator

Elevator

Year: 2011

Runtime: 84 mins

Language: English

Director: Stig Svendsen

ThrillerHorrorHorror

Trapped together, nine strangers find themselves confined in a stalled lift. One passenger carries a ticking bomb that cannot be defused, leaving the other eight desperate to survive. With no way out and no rescue promised, mounting panic forces them toward a grim, unimaginable choice.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – Elevator (2011)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Elevator (2011). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

New York City skyscraper

A 52-story corporate skyscraper in New York City becomes the claustrophobic stage for nine people. They ascend to a top-floor party, only to be trapped when the elevator stalls between floors. The setting emphasizes the stark contrast between luxury offices and the danger of being stuck inside a tiny metal box.

🗽 City 🏢 Skyscraper 🚪 Confined environment

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 08:16

Main Characters – Elevator (2011)

Meet the key characters of Elevator (2011), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Henry Barton (John Getz)

Wealthy building owner whose calm veneer hides a calculating, controlling streak. He tries to steer the group and negotiate survival terms, often focusing on money and status as the situation spirals.

💼 Wealthy 🧠 Calculating 😡 Controlling

Maureen (Tehmina Sunny)

A television reporter who documents the ordeal on her phone and shares footage with her station. She stays practical, compiles information, and tries to keep the group connected to the outside world.

📰 Journalist 🎯 Determined 🧭 Resourceful

George Axelrod (Joey Slotnick)

A comedian who is a claustrophobe but shows courage under pressure. He negotiates with others, offers incentives to survive, and often acts as a catalyst for decisions.

🎭 Entertainer 🧭 Courageous 🗣️ Persuasive

Jane Redding (Shirley Knight)

A grieving widow who reveals a shocking connection to the bomb. Her heart attack and final confession link personal tragedy to the planned attack, sowing distrust and urgency among the group.

💔 Grief 🕵️‍♀️ Complex 🧨 Dangerous

Martin Gossling (Devin Ratray)

Overweight employee who becomes the story’s quiet hero. He contributes through perseverance and moral clarity, but ultimately pays the ultimate price for the group's survival.

💪 Resilient 🧭 Moral 🕊️ Sacrificial

Celine Fouquet (Anita Briem)

Pregnant, composed, and protective, she remains a stabilizing presence for the group. Her pregnancy raises the stakes and adds emotional weight to every decision.

🤰 Pregnant 🧭 Steadfast 🕊️ Protective

Madeline Barton (Amanda Pace)

Henry’s spoiled granddaughter who meddles with the control panel. Her actions demonstrate how privilege and impulsiveness collide with a life-and-death situation.

👧 Privileged 🎯 Impulsive 🧩 Reckless

Mohammed (Waleed Zuaiter)

The building’s security guard who helps the group and stabilizes injuries. His calm demeanor and practical actions provide a lifeline when time is running out.

🛡️ Protector 🗨️ Calm 🧰 Helpful

The Bombmaker (Michael Mercurio)

The designer of the bomb, whose past friendship with Jane’s son motivates the attack. He embodies the impact of grief turned into violence and the unpredictability of his deadly device.

💣 Bomber 🧠 Calculating 😔 Grief

Don

Maureen’s fiancé who navigates conflicting loyalties inside the group. He faces the same harrowing test of endurance and becomes entangled in a personal revelation amid the crisis.

💞 Partner 🧭 Loyal 🛟 Enduring

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 08:16

Major Themes – Elevator (2011)

Explore the central themes of Elevator (2011), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🧭 Survival

The characters must improvise and cooperate under a ticking threat. Conflicts rise and fall as fear, pride, and moral duty collide in the cramped space. The crisis forces choices that reveal who people really are under pressure.

🎭 Truth

Hidden motives and past grievances surface as the bomb becomes a catalyst for revelations. Relationships are tested, loyalties shift, and the line between heroism and self-preservation blurs. The truth about the bomb and its origins reshapes how the survivors see one another.

📰 Media Power

Maureen's live reports push the story into the public sphere, influencing how the group is perceived and how the rescue unfolds. News coverage affects decisions and adds pressure from outside the elevator. The media presence creates a race against the clock as seconds tick away.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 08:16

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Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Pressure cooker survival movies like Elevator

Tense stories where characters are forced into impossible choices under immense pressure.If you liked the claustrophobic tension and high-stakes survival of Elevator, explore more movies like it. This thread gathers similar thriller and horror stories where characters are trapped and forced to make grim moral choices under immense pressure to survive.

claustrophobicanxiousdesperategrippingpressure-cookergrimsurvivalmoral dilemma

Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern typically involves a group of people suddenly confined in a dangerous situation, often with a literal or figurative countdown. The plot unfolds in real-time or near real-time, escalating the immediate threat and forcing characters to confront ethical dilemmas they would normally avoid. The journey is one of collective breakdown and individual resilience.

Why These Movies?

Movies are grouped here because they share a core premise of physical and psychological confinement, relentless pacing driven by an imminent threat, and a heavy emotional weight centered on survival ethics. The experience is defined by a constant, gripping state of anxiety.

Movies with moral dilemmas like in Elevator

Stories that force characters—and viewers—to confront heavy ethical questions.Fans of Elevator who were captivated by its grim ethical quandary will find more movies like it here. This collection features similar stories with heavy emotional weight, where characters face unbearable choices that challenge their humanity, often with mixed or bittersweet endings.

thought-provokinguneasypsychologicalsomberheavyethicaldisturbingdesperate

Narrative Summary

The story revolves around a central, unbearable decision that pits survival against morality. The plot structure builds tension not just from physical danger, but from the psychological torment of the choice itself. Character arcs are defined by how they rationalize, accept, or are broken by their actions, often leading to an ending that offers no easy answers.

Why These Movies?

These films are united by their exploration of difficult ethical terrain under extreme circumstances. They share a heavy emotional weight, a tense tone, and a focus on the psychological cost of survival. The experience is less about a clear villain and more about the conflict within the protagonists.

Unlock the Full Story of Elevator

Don't stop at just watching — explore Elevator in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Elevator is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Elevator Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Elevator, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

Elevator Summary

Elevator Timeline

Track the full timeline of Elevator with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

Elevator Timeline

Elevator Spoiler-Free Summary

Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of Elevator that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.

Elevator Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Elevator

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Elevator: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About Elevator