Leave the World Behind tells a vivid story about what a cyber attack on the United States could look like and what the results might be for people and the country.
Leave the World Behind isn’t a great film, but it really makes its point in powerful ways.
Similar to The Undeclared War about a cyber attacks, the film shows how knowing how to exploit your enemies vulnerabilities makes it easy to get the result you want. This sets up a chaotic situation ripe for takeover without ever having to fire a shot.
In this case, the vulnerabilities are several. Distrustful and divided people who want to protect their own but don’t care about others. Disbelief that the worst could actually happen. And complete dependence on the internet, television, radio, satellites, and all things electronic.
Amanda (Julia Roberts) and Clay (Ethan Hawke) take their kids Rose (Farrah Mackenzie) and Archie (Charlie Evans) to a beautiful house in the woods for a weekend away. While relaxing on the beach, a huge oil tanker plows onto the beach. When they return to the house, nothing works. No cell phones, no internet, no TV. They cannot learn anything about what’s happening.
Late that night there’s a knock at the door. It’s G.H. Scott (Mahershala Ali) and his daughter Ruth (Myha’la), the people who own the house. Something strange is going on in the city and they came home for safety. Clay lets them in, over Amanda’s objections. Amanda doesn’t like people in general, and she finds Black people, well, really suspicious.
Clay tries to drive into town for a newspaper or news, but he gets lost without his GPS. Odd things happen. Herds of deer appear and stare at people. A flock of flamingos land in the pool. Ear splitting noises start. Planes crash. All the Teslas drive themselves to the highway to wreck and create impassable roads.
When Archie needs medical help, they go to see Danny (Kevin Bacon), a nearby survivalist. He greets them at the door with a gun.
In 24 hours, the country became unworkable. That’s where the U.S. is now: a divided country, dependent on our electronics. The divisions between us have been created by propaganda, lies, and fakery by people whose aim is to create chaos and destroy democracy.
This film show how an enemy, either external or internal, could bring us to our knees without ever sending in troops. We’re ripe for the picking. You can be sure that whatever wanna-be dictator came along to pick up the pieces after Americans finished destroying each other would not create a new land of freedom and equality. Nope, it would be The Handmaid’s Tale.
The film was co-written and directed by Sam Esmail. He’s doing his best to make us think. I don’t think he wants us to be like little Rose, and watch the last episode of Friends while the world implodes.
You can see Leave the World Behind streaming on Netflix.
Discover more from Old Ain't Dead
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.