LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND

US, 2023, 140 minutes, Colour.

Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Myha’la Herreld, Farrah Mackenzie, Charlie Evans, Kevin Bacon.

Directed by Sam Esmail.

The title is to be taken more literally than we might initially have been expecting. At first, it is used to explain an enjoyable weekend away on Long Island, the family renting a beautiful house, comfortable, swimming pool, access to the beach… And it it has been arranged efficiently by the mother, Amanda, a rather tough Julia Roberts, sales consultant, harshly sour view of clients and human nature. By contrast, Ethan Hawke is Clay, her husband, Professor of literature and media. And there are two children, Archie, 16, and Rose, 13, obsessed, even in the drive to the holiday house, with finishing all the episodes of Friends.

It all seems happy enough and off they go to the beach. Then the first sign – an oil tanker glimpsed out at sea, getting closer, finally barging ashore on the sand. All is not well. The familiar world will have to be left behind.

There are various ominous signs, some deer in the back garden appearing, phones and Wi-Fi going out, no television. Then, mysterious noises at night – and a father and daughter knocking at the door in the early hours, claiming that this was their house, that there were blackouts in New York and they decided to come back home.

Which means then that the audience has got to know the family first, is suspicious of the newcomers, but being asked to identify with the harsh treatment interrogation by Amanda or with the more genial approach by Clay. As it turns out, the owners of the house are GH, a talented financial adviser, played by two-time Oscar winner, Mahershala Ali, and his teenage daughter, Ruth (who can match Amanda in clashes, suspicions and invective) played by Myha’la Herrold.

During the rest of this rather long film, there are more ominous signs, even more deer gathering, flamingos swooping into the swimming pool, brief phone messages to say that there is a blackout and perhaps services being hacked. And, there are scenes of dialogue and interaction, GH and Amanda being able to settle some of their differences, Ruth asking Clay embarrassing questions about his life. And the two teenagers puzzled, exploring the surrounding woods, Archie getting an infection with dire consequences for his teeth, Rose, wandering, watching  the deer.

When GH goes to try to get some help and information from neighbours, he discovers chaos, bodies, and an airliner crashing. Clay has tried to drive to town to find help but encountered a frantic Spanish-speaking woman he cannot understand. And a drone follows him dropping leaflets, in Arabic, Death to America.

The audience is invited to share the suspicions, the uncertainties, the growing paranoia. And there is a dramatic scene when GH and Clay take Archie for some medical help from a neighbour, played by Kevin Bacon. Tension, confrontation, defensive…

Is this the end of the world? Who knows? Suggestions of the Russians, Koreans, the Pentagon, finances and deals, creating wariness, hostilities, a destructive civil war, and images of nuclear bombs. Some have been very critical of the final sequence, too laid back all – in a well-stocked bunker, a quiet scene, Rose discovering final episode of Friends…

Older audiences and movie buffs may be reminded of the film and/or television series based on Nevil Shute’s end of the world novel, On the Beach (and the film’s Melbourne ending).

1. The title and expectations? The family going on a holiday, leaving everything behind? The change of tone, the end of the world?
2. The popularity of apocalyptic themes, disasters, the end of the world? Tradition in literature and cinema?
3. The structure of the film, the success of chapters in their tone, meaning?
4. The plausibility of the plot, the initial sign of the tanker, menacing, coming closer to the shore, frightening people, on the beach? The loss of communications, phones, Wi-Fi, television? The story of hacking? Stories of powerful people, wealth, defence budgets, conspiracies? Targeting Korea, Russia, Iran, financiers, powerbrokers?
5. GH and his explanations, his job and moving money, his contacts, famous people, the Pentagon, plans for a people, hacking, blackouts, loss of communications, falls information, building up to Civil War, bombs and destruction?
6. Amanda and Clay, she in public relations, he lecturing in English and media, her statements about hating people, booking the holiday, packing, urging Clay, Archie and Rose? Travelling, the typical family, talk, phones and screens? The holiday weekend?
7. The drive, arriving at the mansion, delight, settling in, Amanda going for the groceries, looking at Dennis and his stocking up in the later memories, the visit to Dennis, his work and repairs, defensive, with the gun, his daughter, the request for the medication, confrontations, what any father would do, his giving the pills, Clay paying the money, and the revelation of the well-stocked bunker that he had constructed?
8. The family at the beach, the happy holiday, the tanker, the panic? Archie, 16, Rose, 13, obsession with Friends and the final session?
9. During the night, the noises, GH and his daughter at the door, sense of fear, menace?
10. The audience identifying with Amanda, Clay of the family, wary of GH and Ruth, taking sides, identifying? Amanda and her harshness, suspicions, treatment, justified or not, Clay more amenable? The request for GH to stay the night, his house, the plausibility story, in New York, the music, the blackout, not climbing 14 stories, his house? And the attitudes of his daughter?
11. GH and his playing the thousand dollars in cash?
12. The interactions between the couples? Amanda and her stances, Clay more amenable, GH in his principles, Ruth and her looking down on Amanda? The information about the emergency, staying the night?
13. The next day, the deer at the back, Rose looking at the deer, more and more numbers, going out with Archie, his being stung, finding the hut, mysterious form, looking towards Rose’s room? Amanda, breakfast, everybody a coffee, something of a truce?
14. Clay, driving into town, abandoned, the Spanish-speaking woman and her frantic request, his not understanding, driving off? The drone and the dropping of the “Death to America” leaflets? His fears? Ruth, sunbathing, Archie in the pool, photographing her, later watching the photos, in bed? The flamingos in the pool?
15. GH, going to the neighbours, finding the devastation, the dead bodies, seeing the plane crash?
16. The increasing communication, understandings and misunderstandings? The brief messages about the blackout and the hacking? GH and his time with Amanda, his explanations about his connections, the apologies, playing the music, the dancing?
17. Clay, talking with Ruth, her blunt questions, sexuality, Amanda and her comments about Clay and his behaviour?
18. Archie, becoming unwell, the morning, his teeth coming out, the drive to Dennis, the confrontation, the money, the tablets, the guns?
19. Rose and her disappearance, going to the mansion, the discovery of the videos and DVDs, Friends, the final episode?
20. Amanda and Ruth, some understanding, searching for Rose?
21. Looking across at the city skyline, the explosion of the bomb? The end, leaving the world behind? And the symbolism of Rose, discovering the bunker, so well-stocked, comfortable, but sitting and watching the last episode of Friends?