The Tesla scene in Leave the World Behind explained

Leave the World Behind
A shot from Leave the World Behind (image via IMDb)

The Netflix film Leave the World Behind, released on November 22, 2023, tells a compelling story about the end of the world. One important scene shows cars on a highway. Many Tesla cars were hacked and forced to crash, blocking the road. This cybe­rattack targeted the self-driving technology in the vehicle­s. Watching the hacked Teslas crash into each other is chilling. This pivotal scene underscores the overarching theme of how vulnerable our technology is in a dystopian world.

The Tesla scene in Leave the World Behind is not only a visual chaosmaker but has significance beyond its immediate scope. It fits into the movie’s storyline, showing the wider consequences of technology gone bad during a crisis. Thus, it can be seen how this Tesla scene presents more than a mere spectacle rather, it gives an idea about how we forget that technology can turn against us, leading to rampage and fear on a large scale.


The tesla scene in Leave the World Behind exudes with perils of Technology

The Tesla scene in the film Leave the World Behind is important for a number of reasons because it shows how technology can backfire at critical points in time. In the film, all Tesla cars become self-driven after being hacked into by cyber attackers. This leads to crashes involving unmanned Tesla cars while Amanda (played by Julia Roberts) and her family try to run away from the mayhem.

Amanda’s husband, Clay (Ethan Hawke), and their two kids are seen trying to escape from their rental home on Long Island as the scene unfolds. They want to go to a relative’s house in New Jersey. In order for them to get there, they first have to cross over to New York City, which is also experiencing more technological chaos.

They are driving when they suddenly find themselves in what seems like a huge traffic jam that soon appears as a pile-up of crashed Tesla Model 3s, all empty. The situation is horrible because electric cars that are self-driving are causing accidents, which are increasing because of the power grid failure. Amanda is keenly aware of the potential risk when she observes another Tesla on a direct course toward the family vehicle.

This situation is viewed as a harsh evaluation of the autonomous driving system in the automobile of Tesla, which is advertised as a feature that would provide a superior driving experience that is risk-free and painless. Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, answered the criticism of Tesla cars and stated that these cars can be charged from solar panels even in remote areas.

The statement of Elon Musk, which is shown in the movie, may reassure Tesla vehicle owners that their cars will keep running, even in a situation of an apocalypse, as it is portrayed in the film. However, it seems that Musk didn't quite grasp the essence of the scene. The problem depicted wasn't really about providing power to the cars, but the inability to stop them because of a malfunction.

This scene in Leave the World Behind stirred a wide range of feelings among the audience, starting from worries and apprehension to laughter, when it captured genuine concerns over the dependability and dominance of advanced systems such as self-driving cars.


What is Leave the World Behind all about?

In 2020, Rumaan Alam wrote the novel Leave the World Behind. The book was turned into a movie by Netflix in 2022 and was directed by Sam Esmail. It starts with a family that includes Clay, Amanda, Rose, their teenage daughter, and Archie, the brother at a rented house in Long Island. Their peaceful holiday is disrupted when G.H. and Ruth, an elderly black couple renting the apartment, arrive unannounced.

They announce that there has been a citywide blackout, and they cannot go back to their house located in the Bronx. The story depicts the struggle between the two families facing circumstances, finding it tough to manage their prejudices. The story has a feeling of confusion and being cut off from reality. The characters find themselves alone and in unfamiliar situations and don't have any clear understanding of what is happening.

Leave the World Behind vividly describes the emotional and psychological meltdown of families as they grapple with the unfamiliar and their own biases. The Netflix show has sparked many important aspects in the viewers' minds, mainly about the theme and plot that will be shown. The last scene with Friends DVD symbolizes a society that responds to its problems with distractions and wishful thinking rather than having to make a plan of action.


Leave the World Behind is available to stream on the streaming platform Netflix.

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Edited by Tiasha
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