Leave the World Behind: Facing Armageddon with Friends and Moral Quandaries

When the world ends, what do you want to be doing? As civilization comes to an end, hold onto the people you care about the most, or sit in front of the TV and find solace in the ending of your favorite show, even if you have no idea how it will end? Leave The World Behind chooses the second option. But the fact that Friends is a TV show is telling, especially in light of the loss of one of its most beloved stars this past year.

The newest film in the post-apocalyptic thriller genre, Leave The World Behind, debuted on Netflix last weekend. This is a tense, if not very taut, Armageddon narrative that also throws in commentary on everything from capitalism to consumerism to creepy human behavior in the face of the unknown. It is based on Rumaan Alam's eponymous novel, written in 2020 — a notable time in global history when the pandemic brought us pretty close to doomsday. And it leaves us with a lingering, uncomfortable truth — that we are really our biggest enemies.

One morning, as Amanda Sanford looks out of their New York apartment window, she tells her husband Clay, "I f***king hate people." The fact that "America's Sweetheart" and resident sunshine girl Julia Roberts are the ones speaking sets the stage for what's about to happen. With a plan in place, Amanda has already packed their bags. Soon, the Sanfords, with their two teenagers, Rose and Archie (played by Farrah Mackenzie and Charlie Evans, respectively), hop in the car and drive to a luxurious home on Long Island for a perfect weekend. That is precisely what they are thinking—leaving the world behind.

However, that quickly changes. A sunny afternoon is cut short when an oil tanker sails recklessly up to the beach, nearly crushing a few people. First to go are creature comforts like phones, TVs, tablets, and other electronics that are essential to our everyday existence and whose disappearance can be catastrophic for a lot of us. The next event is a blackout, and soon after, the Sanfords receive a visit from a father and daughter (George, portrayed by Mahershala Ali, and Ruth, played by Myha’la). They are not strangers to the house; they are just hoping to spend the night there. They actually possess it.

After initially being wary of the two, Amanda eventually grows to like them, especially when things rapidly start to go wrong. Amanda acknowledges that she isn't very likeable, which is one of the film's subtle jabs at how aloof and asocial almost all of us have become. The backyard is invaded by wild deer, flamingos land in the pool, a hundred self-driving Teslas jam the highway leading to the city (we saw what you did there!), airplanes crash, a major player experiences an unexplained illness, and drones drop flyers proclaiming "Death to America."

Filmmaker Sam Esmail creates a disconcerting, slow-burn thriller that explores implicit (and explicit) racism and draws on the eerie feeling that arises from fear and uncertainty while departing slightly from the book but staying true to its essence. The film's characters experience the impending apocalypse both individually and collectively, setting the stage for a thought-provoking psychological study on humanity through a number of fantastic set pieces.

Barack and Michelle Obama are executive producing That Leave The World Behind, which gives it an extra edge and leaves us to wonder where we are headed. Esmail recently disclosed how the former US president would contribute frequently with suggestions on plot and players. The movie wants viewers to draw connections between the characters and the episodes, adding morality or challenging authority. Oscar winners Julia Roberts and Mahershala Ali lead the cast, while Ethan Hawke contributes a steady hand and Kevin Bacon's cameo is the icing on the cake. The intention is for viewers to simply feel the sensation of impending doom and not delve any deeper. Many who were hoping for a clear-cut resolution might be disappointed by this, but ultimately, the movie says that happiness is all that matters. I'll Be There For You even as the screen goes black. But will we when the time comes?

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Press Time staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.