Leave the World Behind

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2. Leave the World Behind

The Reel Review

B

An idyllic family vacation at a remote, high-end rental on New York’s Long Island takes a sinister turn when mysterious occurrences indicate the world that they know may be abruptly ending. Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke and Mahershala Ali star in this mystery/thriller based on Rumaan Alam’s 2020 novel.

Writer/director Sam Esmail (Homecoming, Mr. Robot) uses dizzyingly trippy camerawork and an ominous score to create a mind-spinning sense of helplessness reminiscent of our own recent COVID pandemic. Each increasingly unsettling occurrence is a conspiracy theory come to life, building both suspense and a palpable sense of dread. It also highlights how humanity’s reliance on technology – internet, smartphones, self-driving cars – has rendered us useless. Tesla won’t be happy.

The film does have a few weak spots – the bizarre and pointless CGI deer and flamingos, Kevin Bacon’s one-note portrait of a doomsday prepper, some (intentionally?) unlikable characters and an overly long second half. But the ending, highlighting the lengths people will go to escape reality, shines a harsh light on the weaker aspects of human nature.

REEL FACTS

• Leave the World Behind director/co-writer Sam Esmail has been married to actress Emmy Rossum (Shameless, The Phantom of the Opera) since 2017. They have two children.

• Mahershala Ali replaced Denzel Washington after he dropped out of the project.

• Former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle are among the film’s five executive producers.