Twigs - Leave the World Behind

Sam Esmail's horrifying nightmare.

[Note: This review will discuss elements of Leave the World Behind that were revealed in promotional material, such as trailers. If you’re someone who enjoys going into recent movies knowing as little as possible, you may want to skip reading this review.]

I am a huge fan of Sam Esmail’s work.

The visionary writer, director, and producer created my favorite TV series of all time, Mr. Robot, the show that helped launch Rami Malek’s acting career and brought seasoned stars like Christian Slater and BD Wong back into the spotlight. He also directed the first season of Homecoming, a psychological thriller starring Julia Roberts about a live-in facility with a sinister secret. Both works are what Esmail is best known for, and have made me a fan of his work for many years. While there are admittedly some elements in his TV shows that may not appeal to everyone—his way of presenting things is rather odd compared to more uniform media—the creative spark behind everything he makes is electrifying in everything he’s involved with.

Enter: Leave the World Behind. A movie that has caused quite the controversial stir since it arrived on Netflix last month. Reuniting Esmail with Roberts, the film stars the actress as Amanda Sandford, a wife and mother who decides to take her family on a vacation to destress from the trials and tribulations of their working class life. They end up renting a rather high-end house in a location that advertises itself as a way to “leave the world behind.” While there, however, a number of odd occurrences begin to happen due to technological glitches. There also appears to be something amiss in the area, as strange events begin to plague major parts of their vacation hideaway. Things take an even stranger turn when a man named G.H. Scott (played by Mahershala Ali) and his daughter Ruth arrive at the house, claiming they are the owners and need a place to stay. As it turns out, more is going on than the Sandford family knows about. Something that could change their world as they know it forever.

It’s difficult to talk about the movie without spoiling some key elements to its story and themes. However, despite a number of ways this film could be interpreted, I ended up forming my own lens of what the movie was trying to accomplish. Much of the conflict in the film comes with an undercurrent of distrust between both groups, the Sandfords and the Scotts. Not only are these two families thrust into a mystery neither of them fully understand, but they are also at the behest of one another despite having no real way of knowing if they can trust each other. This leads to a multitude of conflicting relationships, made all the more tense by Amanda’s generally misanthropic attitude. Her hatred of other people is a major motivator behind her character, something that grows and shifts as the film progresses.

In terms of the content itself, I see the film as a parable about trust in others during a time of unknown terror. While this is presented through a multitude of lenses—some of which have caused negative audience reactions and low review scores—I interpreted many character actions as possible responses people would have during an intangible crisis. Distrust on the basis of race, class, gender, age, and other uncontrollable factors in a person’s life are on full display throughout the film. Yet each is presented in a nuanced way that incorporates these different perspectives as missing the larger picture. One character in particular stands out as the level-headed realist, while everyone else is reacting to the situation in their own personal ways. The weaving of these character archetypes together underscores the idea that, even in times of great crisis, people can still find reasons to cause conflict with one another.

These ideas are bolstered by convincing performances from the entire cast. Roberts and Ali stand out because of how polar opposite their characters are. While Roberts’ Amanda wants to be left alone, inherently distrusting people because of her distaste for society, Ali’s G.H. is an outwardly friendly individual trying to keep his daughter safe above all else. Their dynamic becomes a key part of the movie, accentuating the idea of “conflict out of nothing” during times of intangible crisis. Ethan Hawke as Amanda’s husband Clay was highly memorable, as he tries to defuse every situation with ever-dwindling optimism. Myha’la’s Ruth was another standout, her own worries coming out in a form of confrontation that becomes expanded and explained as the movie continues. Farrah Mackenzie and Charlie Evans as Rose and Archie respectively round out the family dynamics, being given their own story arcs in the process. Even Kevin Bacon’s Danny and Vanessa Aspillaga’s Salvadora managed to shine in their small roles. Everyone in the movie, even those with minimal screentime, managed to convey something new about the premise.

This is emphasized by the incredibly unique cinematography from Esmail. Camera angles denote feelings of isolation and uncertainty, while other times getting into the minds of characters by presenting shots that closely follow what they do. Each frame of the movie acts to emphasize the slow-burn pacing and lack of clarity all the characters feel throughout the film. Doing this makes every new event in the moive build atop one another, crafting a mystery whose answer could be multifarious. It’s the kind of buildup sorely missed by many mystery films in recent years, but one that works wonders for the premise of Leave the World Behind. In terms of the general aesthetics on display, the movie feels like a triumphant apex of Esmail’s Mr. Robot style of filmmaking. If you’ve ever seen the series (which you definitely should before watching this movie), you’ll have a great time seeing how the director has improved his craft since 2019.

With a stellar cast, unforgettable directing, and a tense story filled with mysteries I can’t discuss here, Leave the World Behind feels like the height of Esmail’s directorial career. While there has been some controversy surrounding the themes and events of the movie, I personally found the entire experience to be an engaging look at how humanity reacts to the pressure of unknown forces. Esmail is clearly on track to stay a memorable creative no matter what his projects entail. And this movie is a testament to how much he is able to create a compelling, multi-layered narrative brimming with subtext, theory, and tension.

Honestly, it might be my favorite film to come out of Netflix this year.

***

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