Movies about isolation can be instructive and cautionary, but most importantly, spectacular and interesting.

At a time when most people are locked up in isolation (self-isolation, if you will) and constantly watching movies, what could be better than watching films about people who find themselves in isolation?

Perhaps from these films we will learn about the best way to maintain social distance, or how to stay calm while isolated. Either way, it definitely won't be boring!

I Am Legend (2007)

An exemplary model of behavior during isolation in 2007 was demonstrated by Will Smith in the film adaptation of Richard Matheson's cult novel. His character goes outside only for urgent matters, like walking his dog and scavenging for valuable materials during a real zombie apocalypse.

Of course, it's not hard for the character to maintain social distance when almost all people on Earth are dead, but that doesn't diminish his masterful preparation and nearly exemplary behavior in a difficult situation.

Panic Room (2002)

If you're really worried about staying safe at home during quarantine/epidemic/isolation, you might want to get a special room for that purpose. That's exactly what Jodie Foster's character does in David Fincher's popular film. Burglars with unpleasant tendencies break into her apartment, but overcoming a woman in distress is no easy task, especially when her home holds so many secrets.

"Panic Room" is a masterful thriller with tense moments and engaging storytelling that will remind you what a joy it is to have windows in your house.

The Martian (2015)

Being isolated in your own home is one thing, but if you find yourself cut off from people and all life on another planet, then consider it a real problem. Or pull yourself together like Matt Damon's character in the sci-fi film "The Martian," find hobbies you enjoy, engage in self-development, and contribute to humanity. One of the most positive and inspiring examples of isolation films.

Cast Away (2000)

The classic story of a person in isolation is, of course, Robinson Crusoe and his adventures. In 2000, Robert Zemeckis and Tom Hanks demonstrated an ideal example of how to present the classics in a modern context with the film "Cast Away." His character cries, he laughs, but the lion's share of screen time the character spends in complete solitude. It can drive you crazy enough to make a friend out of a volleyball!

Ironically, Tom Hanks became one of the first Hollywood celebrities to contract the ill-fated coronavirus, but it's good that he already had personal experience with isolation behavior.

10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)

There is a big difference between a safe haven and a creepy bunker with a psychopath like John Goodman inside. Being isolated next to such a person is something you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy, but watching Mary Elizabeth Winstead's character try to get out of the situation is damn interesting!

Claustrophobic atmosphere, almost physically palpable tension between the characters inside the bunker, mysterious apocalypse outside — all these are components of a solid thriller that will manage to tickle your nerves.

Cube (1997)

Being isolated with strangers is a real test. Even more difficult if there are deadly traps everywhere and you can only get out with a lot of luck.

For this film by Vincenzo Natali, a room measuring 4 x 4 x 4 meters was specially built. A real hell for claustrophobics and what helped the film become almost a classic of the horror genre.

The Shining (1980)

Sometimes isolation is voluntary or has a certain financial basis, as happened with the characters of Stanley Kubrick's legendary film based on Stephen King's novel. And even though the characters are cut off from civilization not in a small apartment but in a huge hotel, the psychological pressure on them (and on the viewers) is immense.

The characters encounter ghostly twin girls, talk to a creepy bartender, and gradually lose touch with the world, especially Jack Nicholson's character, who at one point starts hunting his own wife!

The Mist (2007)

One of the main problems in the process of isolation is getting necessary groceries (okay, with the development of delivery services it's not that difficult), but this difficulty disappears by itself if you find yourself locked inside a supermarket. That's exactly what happens to the characters in the film "The Mist" based on the novel by the same Stephen King.

The characters are isolated from the rest of the world due to a mysterious mist, in the depths of which deadly monsters lurk. But even that is not as frightening as people losing their composure in difficult psychological conditions. As Sartre said, "Hell is other people." There is something true in that.

The Thing (1982)

John Carpenter's cult classic tells the story of a group of researchers who find themselves isolated at a base in Antarctica. And that would be fine, but a deadly alien parasite is discovered there, and not everyone manages to survive this isolation.

Home Alone (1990)

Government recommendations to stay home and maintain social distance of at least 1.5 meters do not mean that you need to fortify your home with all sorts of traps and devices. But what if serious burglars try to break in? You need to defend your home, just like Macaulay Culkin's character does in the film "Home Alone," perhaps the most popular film about a person in isolation.