Why has The Woman in Cabin 10 received an R rating? Details explored

The Woman in Cabin 10 started streaming on Netflix on October 10, 2025. This psychological thriller film is an adaptation of Ruth Ware's novel of the same name and the screenplay is written by Simon Stone (also the director), Anna Waterhouse, and Joe Shrapnel. Here is the official synopsis as per Letterboxd:

On a lavish yacht for an assignment, a journalist sees a passenger go overboard. But when no one believes her, she risks her life to uncover the truth.

Let us explore the details about the film's parental guide and why it was given an R-rating by the Motion Picture Rating system.

Here's why The Woman in Cabin 10 received an R rating

The Woman in Cabin 10 has been given an R Motion Picture Rating (MPA). This adult viewing rating was given due to its depiction of strong language and some violence. While the film does not contain any s*xually explicit moments or n*de scenes, its violence and gore have been labelled as 'moderate.'

The rating body has also rated its depiction of profanity, alcohol, drugs & smoking, as well as its intense scenes as mild. All these points mean that viewer discretion is advised, and only adults 18+ are advised to watch the film.

The Woman in Cabin 10 is produced by Cindy Holland, Debra Hayward and Ellen Goldsmith-Vein. It's cast members include,

Keira Knightley as Laura Blacklock aka Lo
Guy Pearce as Richard Bullmer
David Ajala as Ben Morgan
Lisa Loven Kongsli as Anne Bullmer
Art Malik as Dr. Robert Mehta
Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Rowan
Amanda Collin as Sigrid Nilssen
Paul Kaye as Danny Tyler
Pippa Bennett-Warner as Karla
Hannah Waddingham as Heidi Heatherley
Christopher Rygh as Lars Jensen
David Morrissey as Thomas Heatherley
Kaya Scodelario as Grace
Daniel Ings as Adam Sutherland
Gitte Witt as Carrie
John Macmillan as Captain John Addis

In a Radio Times interview, Simon Stone spoke about the one scene he definitely wanted to have while adapting the story into a film. He said,

“The moment that I always knew I was going to have, and it disappeared from the script and it came back, was the 'stop' written on the mirror. Yeah, like I know that's going to be an awesome moment, because the scary thing is someone was just in the room with her."

He added,

"But it's also the moment where she goes, 'They've shown themselves. This person, whoever it is – I don't know who it is – has shown that they exist. I am therefore not crazy'. So there's a triumph in it as well."

The Woman in Cabin 10 is streaming on Netflix.