Leave the World Behind

Sam Esmail, the creator of the praised series Mr. Robot, directs an apocalyptic psychological thriller about a cyber attack for Netflix, with a decent cast and definitely higher potential. But Esmail and Netflix deserve a thumbs up, as there can never be enough good mystery conspiracy thrillers. Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Mahershala Ali, and even Kevin Bacon in a smaller role make a for a good ensemble cast, so even though it is mainly a conversational drama-thriller with a longer running time than healthy, the film is fortunately not boring. (Of course, it depends on the individual.) I liked the mysterious atmosphere that accompanies the whole film, the division into chapters, and the craftsmanship. The few apocalyptic shots are very nice (although they could have been longer and there could have been more of them). There are plenty of questions and few answers, which wouldn't be a problem if the film didn't have a strange ending where you expect a proper twist and gets that instead. I always have the feeling that when filmmakers are unsure how to end the film and are afraid they don't have a well-thought-out twist, they end it randomly like this, but this doesn't apply in this case. I'm not completely thrilled about it, I expected a bigger mindfuck experience, but compared to the latest Shyamalan, it's definitely a class better. Although there were a few things that bothered me, overall I have no problem with it, and the film receives a weaker 4 stars from me. However, the idea is definitely terrifying. 7/10. (12/12/2023)

A more thoughtful, tense and overall more minimalist version of Civil War with a gradually escalating atmosphere in the style of Take Shelter. Technically outstanding. Great cinematography and editing. Superb acting, a shame some elements were left unexplained and perhaps the conclusion was too rushed given the carefully constructed build up to the finale. (05/31/2024)

Concentrated building of apocalyptic tension that employs clever work with perspective reminiscent of Spielberg’s War of the Worlds (including the way Esmail microdoses the disaster). In emotional terms, we find ourselves between the brightest moments of Shyamalan, Peele and the masterful Take Shelter, but transposed from the working class to New York’s upper middle class. In my opinion, Leave the World Behind is a much more accurate depiction of the catastrophic zeitgeist than all of those hyped-up eco-anti-capitalist satires. It works primarily as a film and some of the statements from the mouths of the believable characters directed against the system and society come off better than in the case of pompous puppet shows. Great work with the camera trajectories, precise actors (Mahershala Ali winner by KO), excellent sound design... If not for a few tonal stumbles, this would be without doubt one of the best disaster films of recent years. (12/20/2023)

This is how I hoped to like Don't Look Up, but I didn't. Not even close. Leave the World Behind is a much more mysterious, clever, funny, better made and written film that actually accurately describes my feelings about the world today. Like Julia Roberts’s monologue in the shack. (12/10/2023)

No Bruce drilling into asteroids, Aaron drilling to the core, and Roland twisting all kinds of cataclysms. The era of relatively happy endings is over; a more personal approach to preparing for the inevitable is taking over, dealing with dark prospects, and retreating into the underground around an image with the inscription "Hope begins in the dark." Should I be impressed by the camera moving through floors, walls, and holes in the tin roof of a forest cabin, or the neurotic music feeding the fear of an unknown danger? Not really. What struck me the most was the realization that when the crisis comes, Apple Pay and soy lattes will have zero value compared to a shotgun in the hands of a farmer with a shabby cap, and we, looking from above, will need to dismount from that horse quickly. I resonate with the plotline about Friends. I’d also like to feel good and return to times that seem as if they never existed. (12/12/2023)