"If you're not paranoid by now, it's probably too late." Is 'Leave the World Behind' a warning?
Mohamed Shafiullah contemplates on the film adaptation of Rumaan Alam’s novel of the same title Leave the World Behind (2023), set in a dystopian, apocalypse-ridden America.
“But when events like this happen in the world, the best and even the most powerful people can hope for is a heads up.”
Our culture is enamored with dystopia and apocalypse; zombies, aliens, and other fantastical creatures descending upon the earth to ruin society and turn our beautiful cities into wastelands. But what apocalyptic scenario is the most likely to happen in this world? A world that is greatly dependent upon technology?
Leave the World Behind is a 2023 apocalyptic thriller written and directed by Sam Esmail, based on the novel of the same name by Rumaan Alum. This film features one of the more practical and realistic apocalypses we might face. We follow two families as they navigate and attempt to make sense of the beginning of an attack on America, which might be terrorist. This attack breaks down all available American technologies to cause a blackout and eventually societal breakdown. Planes fall from the sky after their systems fail, ships breach onto beaches after their navigation is corrupted and self-driving cars wreak havoc as something sinister takes control of their autopilot. All communication systems are down (even satellite phones – which are often portrayed in media as working no matter the time and place – are of no use). A loud noise that sounds at random times causes people visible distress at the moment, while their teeth fall out later on. What is happening? Who is doing this and why?
We think we know the identity of the attackers midway through the movie, as drones drop pamphlets that are written in Arabic, declaring “Death to America!” It must be Muslim terrorists, right? The Taliban or Hamas or ISIS or Al-Qaeda or one of the myriad other terrorist groups. But then we receive information that the same pamphlets were dropped in San Diego but were written in an Asian language. This aspect of the film attempts to tackle racism borne out of fear and confusion; the person who mentions the San Diego pamphlets says they are written in Korean and hence the attackers must be Korean, or maybe it is written in Mandarin and the attackers must be Chinese. He cannot readily identify the Asian language. It must be one of those Asians… but it doesn’t really matter who, right? When Japanese Americans were vilified during WW2, do you think racists cared if the person they were attacking was Chinese or Korean or a person of any other East Asian group?
One of the best characters in the film is a little girl named Rose (played by Farrah Mackenzie), who is part of one of the two main families we follow in the movie. She perfectly encapsulates how we as a society behave today. Despite all the destruction and panic around her, Rose is extremely disappointed that she did not manage to watch the Friends finale. Her older brother chides her for this; Why does it matter? America might very well be ending, and the ending of a TV show should not matter. Yet this girl is adamant. We can see her visible distress at not knowing the ending throughout the film. She then abandons her family and finds a bunker, where she finds the DVD finale of Friends and proceeds to watch it. Rose and her situation reflect us; the destruction happening around Rose is akin to the destruction we see around us today (climate change, genocide, etc.), and Rose caring so much for a TV show despite her situation is like us distracting ourselves from all these problems. There are more than three active genocides today and scientists warn of melting icebergs and rising temperatures, but all we want to do is watch Friends in peace. Perhaps Rose’s obsession with Friends, despite the destruction, is merely a response to the destruction. All the confusion and panic around her have forced her to embrace escapism, a form of entertainment to shield her from the truth. Don’t we all prefer comfort and familiarity over the cold hard truth?
This film also offers a glimpse at how we might treat one another when all social rules and etiquettes have been peeled away, and when confusion truly starts to set in. We are introduced to the amiable Clay (played by Ethan Hawke). An easygoing sort of fella, Clay is confronted with the harsh realities of the world. When Clay’s son needs medical help, he approaches a person who is a hardcore doomsday prepper, being prepared for this very type of situation. All Clay needs is some medication, nothing much. Yet this person refuses to help, clearly wanting to hold on to all his resources no matter if he needs it or not. In a normal functioning society, this will be considered deplorable behavior. But in an apocalypse, how many of us would truly help each other? Clay, in a bid to get information, drives to the city. On his way, he encounters a Spanish woman. He rolls down his window, trying to help her. The woman shouts and wails in Spanish repeatedly. Clay does not understand what she is saying, and he does not dare exit his car. He chooses to drive away, with a look of disbelief on his face. A disbelief that he, a normally helpful person, could abandon someone in their hour of need. How many of us, whom our friends and family might consider kind and helpful, would truly be there for someone when the rule of law fades away? Will our cordial nature hold steady against panic and destruction, or will it be ripped away to reveal that we were simply adhering to society’s standards?
This film also portrays nature’s interaction with humanity during times of crisis. There is clearly a crisis taking place (beyond the technological breakdown seen in the film), perhaps a form of biological attack. Many times throughout the film, a large group of deer gather around to stare down the characters, as if warning them of oncoming doom. It is ironic that deer, an animal frequently associated with peace and tranquility, plays the role of the harbinger of death and destruction. A large group of flamingos also appear in the mansion’s pool; they usually represent beauty and balance, but these creatures so far away from their natural habitat symbolize that the natural order is out of balance, and their beauty is replaced by their hint at doom.
G.H. Scott (played by Mahershala Ali) gives a profound monologue in the film. In essence, he talks about how he does business dealings with very powerful and influential people, and how often they joke about being the “evil cabal that controls the world.” But right before the blackout, one of his prominent clients contacts Scott to move a huge sum of his money around. When Scott makes the evil cabal joke (which this client of his always laughs at), this time around the client is silent; it is highlighted that there is no evil cabal that controls the world, and the truth is much worse. “No one is in control. No one is pulling the string.” Simply put, all that the “best and even the most powerful people can hope for is a heads up.” We get a sense that this is how the modern world truly operates, where the billionaires and politicians and royals simply have “access to the right kind of information” to navigate the tumultuous and complicated climate of today, instead of being able to tailor the world to their needs. The normal folks like us? We are kept in the dark and left to drown.
This film is produced by the former President of the United States, Barack Obama, who gave a lot of notes to the making of this film. As a man who was once the Leader of the Free World, is he taking pity on us normal folks and giving us a “heads up?” Guess we’ll know soon enough.