Mini Film Review – Leave The World Behind

Yesterday I watched Leave the World Behind; and it was rather interesting! Directed by Sam Esmail, and starring Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, and Mahershala Ali, and based on the book of the same name by Rumaan Alam; Leave the World Behind is an apocalyptic psychological thriller, about a family who go away for the weekend, only for a rather bizarre sequence of events to happen whilst they are away, which to them look like the world might be ending, but they don’t know for sure! The opening few scenes of the film can lose your attention a bit, as you are trying to figure out why the names Barack and Michelle Obama are in the opening credits. It’s a rather losing experience, as the film shows several eye catching disasters, but takes it’s time in trying to suggest any form of reasoning. And it’s not just a one time thing, as there are more and more happening, often with an incredibly well done urge of tension, and awaiting suspense-fullness. It sort of puts you in mind of an M. Night Shyamalan film, as it’s one where you expect a sudden, unexpected twist. But that sadly never comes. You really wish for one though, in the end it’s a rather sedate ending, but you want there to be something big, which might explain everything. Here though, it covers most things, but doesn’t necessarily explain the animals, except perhaps very briefly in a blink and you will miss it moment midway through. It’s a cool, engrossing film, but one you would like something more substantial to end it on. Either something hilariously shocking, or perhaps even just a placard saying something like ‘This has been a film about the Human Condition!’, but instead, we just get a mediocre ending, that might raise a smile, but yeah, not much else. I do though quite like it’s sedate and serene approach to the end of the world. No signs of looting, or mass rioting, it’s just a family who go away for the weekend…and all that other stuff is many miles away!