MEMS devices such as interferometric modulators are described having movable layers that are mechanically isolated. The movable layers are electrically attractable such that they can be selectively moved between a top and bottom electrode through application of a voltage. In interferometric modulators, the movable layers are reflective such that an optically resonant cavity is formed between the layer and a partially reflective layer, thereby providing a display pixel that can be turned on or off depending on the distance between the reflective layers in the resonant cavity.