Leave the World Behind
Leave the World Behind
Starring Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Myha'la
Directed by Sam Esmail
Looking to get away from society that she despises, Amanda Sandord (Julia Roberts) takes her husband Clay (Ethan Hawke) and children Rose (Farrah Mackenzie) and Archie (Charlie Evans) to a quaint Airbnb in Long Island in the middle of nowhere. At first everything is calm and peaceful, but when they go to the beach they're witnesses to an oil tanker running ashore for no good reason. That night they're visited by G.H. Scott (Mahershala Ali) and his daughter Ruth (Myha'la) who claim this is their house and they returned home because of a blackout in the city. Amanda is wary of letting them in and doesn't believe it's their home at all, but Clay is more understanding and allows them to stay.
As the days progress strange events begin occurring. Ruth sees hundreds of deer in the backyard. The phones and televisions stop working. They hear an ear-shattering noise that leaves them incapacitated. When they attempt to leave Amanda and her family find the roads blocked by self-driving Teslas that crash into each other. Something is happening in the world and they have no idea what it is - except for G.H., who knows a man high up in the military and suspects that something nefarious is happening in America. As the two families learn to co-exist together, they also try to figure out if the world is irreversibly altered, or if they can return to some sort of normalcy.
The Good:
The story is something that's intriguing and unique, as I mentioned earlier the characters really have no idea what's going on apart from some general ideas G.H. has since he knows someone in the government, but not even that's proven biblical fact. It's frustrating to the characters and that frustration transfers to the viewers as well, but not in a negative way. We're just in the dark as they are, and aren't privy to outside knowledge like in other films like this where we're treated to a scene or two of exposition from government officials that the characters don't know about. We're wondering why animals are suddenly appearing en-masse, why self-driving Teslas are crashing into each other, what that weird screeching noise is, why electronics aren't working - everything. We're not spoon-fed information but rather left to interpret everything happening on our own terms that adds a more personal connection to the story as opposed to being an outside observer.
Director Sam Esmail and cinematographer Tod Campbell do some extraordinary work when it comes to their camera movement. There's long pans (especially when the family enters the house and we see Amanda moving from room-to-room in a one-cut outside camera pan), some great crane shots of characters from below as the camera pans up, and moments where the camera reorients itself after spinning around to illustrate internal and external calamities.
The score by Mac Quayle is intense and foreboding, even from the start of the film. The strings strike like lightning, the notes beat like thunder. It amps up the tension tenfold and is impressive in its simplicity. There's no John Williams-style masterpiece, but the subtly of the music ramps up your heartbeat as the characters come into contact with unknown forces.
The cast is a huge A-list talent and to their credit they give it their all, even if they come off as wholly unlikable. Most notably is Julia Roberts, who's known as America's Sweetheart, playing a truly vile character who's also the lead. Amanda doesn't like people, but more importantly she doesn't like a specific type of people (she doesn't really hide it either). She's reprehensible, cold, and a true "Karen" in every sense of the word. When G.H. and Ruth come to their own home, she doubts that this is their home because of "who" they are, and even goes to say that they're probably the hired help faking to be owners. She learns a little bit throughout the film how to be more accepting, and does give a deep monologue near the end about not wanting to be this way, but all in all she's a truly deplorable.
She obviously wears the pants in the family, as Ethan Hawke's Clay is more mild-mannered and sees the good in everyone, and is more mousy against his outspoken wife. He allows G.H. and Ruth to stay in their own home even though Amanda is vehemently against it, and you see her power as she's berating Clay for his actions as she walks around the bedroom and he sits on the bed in a submissive stance. While Amanda is the brains, Clay is the heart, and his heart bleeds for people and for doing good for everyone no matter who they are. Honestly it's surprising these two came together in the first place due to how differently they see the world.
Mahershala Ali is the opposite, as he plays G.H. as a stoic, well-spoken, even-tempered man who's the perfect foil for Amanda's prejudices. G.H. is everything that Amanda thinks a man of his appearance shouldn't be, and it's this difference that eventually leads them to an understanding later on that questions Amanda's prejudices. Myha'la plays Ruth as a cynical, egotistical rich young woman who's the perfect fodder for Amanda as the two come to blows time and again with their sarcastic tones, and while Amanda's prejudice is well visible, Ruth's is more hidden. There's a quiet moment where she's talking to her dad about not trusting people in this possible new world, especially "white" people. Yet even she finds common ground with Amanda as the film progresses, shattering the norms both held dear and realizing that there could be some good in a world gone mad.
The Bad:
While it's nice that we're not gifted with outside knowledge as to what's happening, it really deters the story from progressing outside its premise. The characters repeat dialogue and repeat days like it's "Groundhog Day" as they continually wonder what's happening, what's going on in the world, when things will go back to normal, and so on. This drags the film when it shouldn't, and could've cut about thirty minutes off to give it a more lean appeal. If you played a drinking game where you took a drink every time you heard one of the above statements, you'd be concerned you got alcohol poisoning.
The children of Amanda and Clay are wholly unlikable and annoying, as most kids in films like this are. Charlie Evans' Archie isn't too bad, but is a pervert who takes pictures of Ruth in her bathing suit and berates his younger sister in horrible ways, and overall just doesn't give a believable performance. Farrah Mackenzie's Rose, however, is the most insufferable character of all. She whines about the television and Internet not working because she absolutely has to find out how "Friends" ended, and makes terrible decisions that most kids do in films like this, but is more annoying than most. I hated every moment she was on screen and was hoping something would happen to her in the most negative way possible.
The Summary:
While the premise allows the viewers to be as in the dark as the characters, "Leave the World Behind" is also hampered by this premise, circling around the same conversations that makes the runtime a bit too long and could've been excellent if it was cut down some.
The Score: A-
Comments
Post a Comment