What do the deer mean in Leave the World Behind? Symbolism explained

In the Netflix movie Leave the World Behind, the symbolism of the deer is significant and multi-layered. In the movie, the Sandfords and Scotts discover a large herd of deer while dealing with a mysterious emergency during their vacation. Initially, Clay Sanford views the sighting of a couple of deer as a good omen for their family vacation.

However, the deer soon becomes a foreboding presence. This is particularly highlighted when they surround Ruth Scott in a tense scene. Furthermore, the increasing number of deer throughout the movie parallels the augmenting disasters and omens that later culminate in an apocalyptic scenario.

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Leave the World Behind: Delving into the role of deer in highlighting the movie's motifs

A still from the movie Leave the World Behind (Image via Netflix)

The behavior of the deer in the film symbolizes the increasing fear, panic, and uncertainty among the characters. This happens as the world around them becomes more chaotic and unpredictable. Moreover, it is particularly evident when Rose Sanford observes an unusually large group of deer and expresses her concern about their strange behavior.

Thereafter, in a later scene, Amanda and Ruth Schott are petrified to find themselves surrounded by hundreds of deer. The film insinuates that the environmental disaster affecting animal migration patterns is a key factor behind the deer's bizarre behavior.

Furthermore, the change in the deer's behavior from calm to aggressive hints at the broader apocalyptic scenario unfolding in the film. The deer, in this context, represents a connection to the natural world and how human actions are disrupting this balance.

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Leave the World Behind: The director's take on the imagery of the deer

Sam Esmail, the director of Leave the World Behind, expanded on the imagery of the deer, from the book on which the film is based. In an interview with Esquire on December 15, 2023, Esmail spoke about aiming to transform the typically peaceful image of deer into something ominous and menacing.

This was done keeping in mind the movie's theme of turning non-threatening elements into sources of potential threat.

Furthermore, Sam Esmail credited his VFX team for making the deer in the film look realistic. In the interview, Esmail elucidated that the team used mock-ups on set to help the actors interact believably with the deer.

“It’s a testament to Chris Harvey, my VFX supervisor; Dione [Wood], my VFX producer; and Alec [Hart], who’s on the VFX team. They knew that we wanted to make the deer feel as real as possible, and they were on set. We had mock-ups there so that the actors had something to play off of, and we made sure that the lighting on the fur [was] as accurate as possible.”

Esmail further stated:

“Deer are peaceful creatures...To turn that sweet image into now this sort of ominous, menacing, almost warning — I thought was really interesting. That’s the trick about this movie. We always tried to take things that we never really considered a threat and then turn it around on them.”

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What is the genre of Leave the World Behind?

Leave the World Behind is classified as a drama with strong elements of thriller and mystery. The film delves into the psychological and emotional responses of its characters to an unknown, apocalyptic event, which aligns it with the drama genre.

Furthermore, the mystery aspect of the movie is highlighted by the unexplained events and the lack of clear information about what is happening to the world outside. This, in turn, keeps the characters and the audience in a state of suspense and speculation.

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Overall, the deer in Leave the World Behind is a potent symbol of the impending doom and the disruption of the natural order in the movie.