Based on the 2020 bestselling book by author Rumaan Alam, Leave The World Behind jumped from the page to the big screen at the opening night world premiere of American Film Institute’s AFI FEST 2023 at Hollywood’s iconic TCL Chinese Theatre. Written for the screen and directed by Sam Esmail, he spoke briefly before the screening and gave the audience a two-word warning on what we all should expect from this bold, new storytelling: “Buckle up.”
Coming to limited theaters on November 22 and streaming on Netflix
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What starts out as a pleasant change of pace for this ordinary family, slowly begins to unravel through very unusual events – particularly, when a man and his daughter (played by Mahershala Ali and Myha’la) arrive at their door late at night.
From there, feelings of distrust, confusion and the inner-conflict of whether to do the right thing become front-and-center themes within this captivating tale. What starts out as small annoyances and issues arising around these modern characters, begins to escalate into much more serious and peculiar occurrences.
Before bringing Leave The World Behind to the screen, writer/director Esmail is arguably best known for his innovative storytelling on Mr. Robot (2015-2019). He decided to bring along several of his familiar collaborators from the Emmy-winning series to this new feature film, including music composer Mac Quayle. The score throughout Leave The World Behind creates a heightened intensity to the developing storyline on-screen, as well as enhances the overall mystery, as both the characters and the audience question what exactly is happening.
Esmail and cinematographer Tod Campbell also bring a truly unique visual experience to its viewers, through their regular use of creative camera angles, often following these characters from a bird’s eye view from above to wrapping around them during intense exchanges with dialogue. These selective movements build on the tension and skepticism that grow between these characters.
Roberts continues to prove that she does not only still know how to command the screen, but also that her dramatic acting abilities remain in top form as the protective mother and wife, Amanda. Hawke’s character Clay initially brings a comforting lightness and a somewhat naive likability to the story, but as the film goes on, the dramatic depths he is able to perform on-screen beautifully illustrates the human condition and how one can change their behavior during dire moments.
Following his Oscar-winning performances in Best Picture winners Moonlight (2016) and Green Book (2018), Ali remains one of the most intriguing actors in Hollywood today. His masterful balance of creating both an easy-to-like character in G.H. and the worry that he shows within his vocal delivery, as well as in his facial expressions, is a true tour-de-force in Leave The World Behind.
Already celebrated for her acting abilities in projects like Industry (2020-) and Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022), Myha’la brings an engaging mix of sharp wit and vulnerability to her young adult character of Ruth, as she grapples with the possibility of loss and her belief of subtle yet apparent racism occurring around her and her father.
As these characters navigate together to try to figure out what is happening around them and to the world at large, each of them are confronted to address their own moral code and what it truly means to be a human.
The real world hot topics of advancing technology, the environment and global warfare make us, the audience, feel a need to self-examine our own ways and the ways we look at our society today. As much as Leave The World Behind is something we get to watch, it just as much sets its sights back on us.
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