'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Leave the World Behind is slated to hit Netflix on December 8, 2023. Starring noted actors Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Myha'la, and Kevin Bacon, the psychological thriller was released on November 22, 2023, in select theaters. Before that, the American Film Institute (AFI) fest hosted a screening on October 25, 2023.
Roberts bankrolls the movie via her Red Om Films banners. Esmail Corp and Higher Ground Productions are the other producers. Notably, Higher Ground Productions was founded by former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama in 2018 and the Netflix movie is their fourth feature film production.
Apart from the ones mentioned above, Leave the World Behind also stars Farrah Mackenzie and Charlie Evans.
What is Leave the World Behind about?
Leave the World Behind is based on an eponymous novel by Rumaan Alam. Published in 2020, the National Book Award for Fiction finalist deals with a family vacation gone wrong due to an unannounced and unpredictably long blackout.
The novel is 241 pages long and belongs to the genres of fiction, thriller, and mystery, as per Goodreads. The social cataloging website describes it as a “magnetic novel,” and its gist reads:
“Amanda and Clay head to a remote corner of Long Island expecting a quiet reprieve from life in New York City, quality time with their teenage son and daughter, and a taste of the good life in the luxurious home they've rented for the week. But with a late-night knock on the door, the spell is broken.”
It further mentions an older couple, Ruth and G. H., who visit them and claim “to own the home,” and “have arrived there in a panic.”
The summary adds:
“These strangers say that a sudden power outage has swept the city, and - with nowhere else to turn - they have come to the country in search of shelter. But with the TV and internet down, and no phone service, the facts are unknowable. Should Amanda and Clay trust this couple - and vice versa? What has happened back in New York? Is the holiday home, isolated from civilization, a truly safe place for their families? And are they safe from one another?”
Why is Leave the World Behind rated R?
Given the synopsis, it is not surprising that the Netflix film has been rated R. The Motion Picture Association (MPAA), which is responsible for certifying a movie, stated in its assessment that the film deserves R because of “language, some se*ual content, drug use, and brief bloody images.”
Directed by Sam Esmail, who also has written the screenplay, the movie is reportedly 141 minutes long.
Who is the main character in Leave the World Behind?
Leave the World Behind is an apocalyptic thriller that deals with two families who are struck by a catastrophic cyber-attack, which has rendered them helpless and in a sticky situation.
Going by the summary stated above, there are basically four main characters in the movie: Amanda Sandford (Julia Roberts), Clay Sandford (Ethan Hawke), G.H. Scott (Mahershala Ali), and Ruth Scott (Myha'la). The side characters include Amanda-Clay’s children Archie and Rose, and Danny, George's contractor, who cautions them of the impending crisis.
Leave the World Behind will hit Netflix on December 8, 2023.
