Neurotic mother
This film relies on the mother being completely neurotic. No sane mother would act like she is acting.
shareit is the opposite, don´t you see it, she is not like that all the time, I wonder how would you react if one of your loved ones went missing
shareIf I couldn't see a loved one on an airoplane I wouldn't freak out, I'd assume that they'd be there as it's a plane and therefore impossible for them not to be.
She also seems to be really....intense....right from the start with regards to keeping her daughter surgically attached to her at all time.
Hum... I disagree with the OP. I mean, do you have kids ? If you do, don't you know how it feels when suddenly you can't find one of them ? Doesn't matter if you're on a plane or elsewhere. When your 6-year-old kid disappears, you quickly get nervous. Any mother would. I think Jodie Foster's character's reactions were entirely belieavable.
Plus, she didn't freak out right away. She got a bit nervous, yes - but first she checked the whole plane, the toilets and the lounge relatively calmly, asking the passengers if they'd seen Julia. When she couldn't find her anywhere, she really started to freak out ; I'd have done the same. Even on a plane - of course people can't just get off a plane, but a little girl could still get injured, get trapped somewhere... A lot of things could happen to a child.
As for the beginning of the movie, when she tries to keep her daughter close all the time - yes, not any mother would be that careful (or paranoid), but remember the father just died, the girl seemed traumatized, afraid of everything (she didn't even want to go outside, she was afraid of the snow !). That's why her mother kept her close, to reassure her.
And the short scene where the girl disappears at the airport - any mother would freak out if she suddenly lost her kid in a huge crowded place.
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"You know, this is - excuse me - a damn fine cup of coffee."