Leave the world behind

"Leave the World Behind," released in 2023, is a suspenseful drama directed by Sam Esmail and based on Rumaan Alam's novel. The film features a star-studded cast, including Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, and Ethan Hawke, portraying two families who find themselves unexpectedly sharing a remote vacation home during a mysterious blackout, leading to escalating tensions and uncertainties.

Critics have offered mixed reviews. Michael O'Sullivan of The Washington Post praised the film, noting that it "plays like an M. Night Shyamalan movie, but without the supernatural element and with a thick vein of social critique running throughout." He added that "what happens may be extreme, but it feels based on mundane reality."

Wenlei Ma of The Sunday Times described the film as "jittery and suspenseful," highlighting that certain cinematographic choices "emphasise that we're all puppets in someone else's marionette theatre... we're not in control, but Esmail is of his startling, character-driven doomsday story."

In contrast, Bilge Ebiri of Vulture critiqued the adaptation, stating that "every change made for the adaptation happens to be for the worse," and that "the film doesn't demonstrate any kind of interest in, or affection for, its characters." He concluded that "this feels more like a collection of cool ideas than scenes that belong to the same emotional and consequential continuum."

Alissa Wilkinson of The New York Times commented that "after a while, the movie plays like a bulleted list of everything wrong with America... the narrative tension dulls into passivity, both for us and for the characters," and noted that "the ending seems like a punchline."

Audience reactions have been similarly varied. Some viewers appreciated the film's character development and atmospheric tension, while others felt the storyline was underwhelming and the ending abrupt. One user review described it as having "great characters, beautiful shot composition, ok storyline, abrupt ending."

Overall, "Leave the World Behind" presents a thought-provoking narrative with strong performances, though opinions differ on its execution and impact.

-Awishaka Aluthwaththa-