Leave the World Behind, is the film that everyone has been talking about since its premiere on Netflix and that has also kept many people awake at night. In case you haven’t seen it, we will tell you what this apocalyptic film is about starring Julia Roberts and (believe it or not) produced by Barack and Michelle Obama.
You know, to get into context…
What Is ‘Leaving the World Behind’ About?
The story told by Sam Esmail is based on the novel of the same name and was written by Rumaan Alam. It portrays a family trip that turns into a nightmare like the end of the world, or rather, of a nation. Amanda (Julia Roberts), her husband Clay (Ethan Hawke), and their children, Archie (Charlie Evans) and Rose (Farrah Mackenzie) arrive at a house they rented and suddenly a cyber attack occurs due to which they lose communication with everyone. There is light and not much hope for survival.
Later, affected by the same situation, the owners of this property, George Washington (Mahershala Ali) and his daughter Ruth (Myha’la Harrold), return to this place to take refuge, and that is when, in addition to everything that is happening around them, they must learn to trust and team up. The narrative captures you at every moment; However, when the end comes, a huge question mark will appear on your face. It is an open ending with several interpretations, but despite that, they take you along the same path and toward the same destination.
So if you didn’t understand it the first time either, thank the Universe, which guided you to the right place.
Explained the Ending of ‘Leaving the World Behind’
An option and that is simply what is captured in the film that premiered on Netflix on December 8, it shows us how George and Clay get medicine to treat Archi, while Amanda and Ruth observe the destruction of the city in the middle of the search for Rose, who, in search of knowing what ends Friends, arrives at a bunker, supplied with electricity, food reserves, and the best: all the seasons of her favorite series.
But, if we want to get more out of the story, we have to start analyzing the details, as it is inevitable, but at the same time, sad and real, that human beings have become dependent on technology, proof of this is how Clay himself admits that he is useless without his cell phone and GPS.
Without a doubt, another topic that is addressed is the ambition and power that people with a lot of money can exercise over any sector. Without leaving aside the importance of moving towards those things that make us happy and can help us survive emotionally and mentally any situation, no matter how complicated it may seem.
Some would not understand these types of things because they might seem “absurd” or with “little value” to some; however, they are really meaningful to others, such is the case of Rose, who often talks to her brother without being heard and even receives ridicule from him. She doesn’t know that what they judged her so much about would lead her to find a place where she and everyone else could be saved. At the end of everything, regardless of the case, they leave us open to the possibility of a second part, and obviously, we hope it will be released soon.
The Author of the Novel Gives His Opinion on the Ending of ‘Leave the World Behind’
Even the author of the novel himself revealed during an interview with Variety his opinion about the ending of Leave the World Behind, highlighting that although the film is very faithful to the novel, “those changes (such as including Friends) are faithful exciting to the book.”
“Ending the particular with that touch of humor makes it so satisfying and rewarding. It is a kind of self-reflection because he is a filmmaker. He has also worked in television and is making a statement about the power of that medium and its influence on this character. I say it’s funny, but I don’t think it’s a joke. I don’t think this is a joke on Rose.
I don’t think it’s a joke for the public. I don’t think it’s a joke for Friends. It’s a reminder that art is a kind of balm. The cinematic experience of watching this movie is so powerful because I’ve had the opportunity to see audiences respond to the ending three times, and no one knows what to make of it. Do you wonder if it’s fun? Fear? Is it over? And I love that,” he said.
Likewise, he commented that something that he loved is how uncertainty is maintained among the spectators, since the ending becomes unpredictable, because although the reunion that many of us expected as a “happy” family never came, what he considered makes it “very satisfying.”
“Wouldn’t that be very unsatisfactory? It’s a film that respects you enough as a viewer not to recommend that. In that final scene between Julia and Myha’la, they don’t hug. Even before that, when they’re in that little shed and they come to a détente, Ruth recognizes that there’s some truth in the things Amanda has said, that they agree on something, but it doesn’t end with a hug.
It’s not that kind of story. I have no problem with a big disaster movie that saves six or eight protagonists and brings them together after a disaster and allows you to say, “Well, everything is going to be okay.” I don’t think it’s that kind of movie,” she added. Regarding the ending that Esmail shows in the story that he brought to the film, Alam himself recognizes that there is no definitive answer on certain aspects.
“In the movie, they start the timer, so there’s a literal ticking and we hear the timer alarm go off. That is the last moment we are with Ruth and Amanda. And the last thing GH said is that we have to go to that bunker.
You as a viewer may say, ‘Oh, they’re not going to make it,’ but I have this view of GH as someone very competent, and I feel like he’s solved all the problems. But I don’t know what’s going to happen with Archie. The truth is that I do not know. This is something I’ve heard Sam say a lot, which he doesn’t know either. But this is open enough that it becomes something that the audience owns about it. “I am not withholding a definitive answer because I do not have that,” he stressed.
There are many ways to interpret the ending, the interesting thing is that you can give it a special meaning, but the best of all is that there is the great possibility that they will soon announce a second part of Leave the World Behind…
This story was written in Spanish by Nayeli Párraga in Cultura Colectiva
