Leave the World Behind: An Actual Series of Unfortunate Events
Fair warning: There may be spoilers.
Wow.
We watched Leave the World Behind earlier this week. I loved this movie so much. I’m not a person who reviews films beyond clicking “two thumbs up” on Netflix, but I feel like I have to say something about this one.
I’m going to be honest and start of with the fact that this was not a movie that sucked me in right away. The animations during the intro credits were interesting however they vaguely reminded me of Mad Men with the black and red cut outs and the flying/falling effect on the white background, but it also had a communism vibe, so I think I was subconsciously anticipating something else altogether. I actually fell asleep about one third of the way into it. To be fair, I do this somewhat often. Our TV time doesn’t start until 10:30 or 11 after our son goes to sleep, so I am quite tired myself at that point.
But I’m really glad I gave it more time the next night, because it is quite a brilliant production.
To start, a family of four is going on a little getaway to Long Island. Amanda and Clay (Julia Roberts and Ethan Hawke) Sanford are the parents and they have two kids, Rose and Archie. They arrive at a very nice rental house. Perhaps this is why I didn’t immediately feel invested in their story; because I couldn’t relate to that extravagance in the least. That night, shortly after their arrival, the owner George shows up with his daughter Ruth explaining that there is a blackout in the city. Of course I immediately thought of the episode of Friends: the One with the Blackout. Maybe because Rose was watching Friends on the drive en route to the house, but I probably would have immediately thought of Chandler in the ATM vestibule with Jill Goodacre anyway because that show is so significant to me (more on this later). Anyway George and Ruth end up staying at the house, in a spare room, with the Sanford family. (This is where I fell asleep the first night.)
Nobody really knows what exactly is happening. Things get weird -The deer! The teeth!- and tension is constantly rising around the characters. I was practically frantic for answers and resolution, if not even just a clue, at this point. In the end, my initial reaction of joy was to the exact thing that was happening in that moment. But it was immediately followed by “Okay?” as a response to the story as a whole. Like I said, we watch movies late at night and I was tired so I went right to bed without giving it much thought.
But I woke up thinking about this movie. And thought about it all morning. It is very nearly an intrusive thought at this point. But I finally arrived at the fact that I loved this film.
It was slow to engage, yes. But I began to draw associations through which to connect with the characters. I’m not entirely sure why deer specifically were used in the symbolism of the natural world, but damn, they are watching you. We should all pay attention. Nature needs our awareness. Another instance that stood out to me was the line of seemingly identical cars creating a block on the highway and the panic around being trapped and scrambling to escape the disaster of technology.
Which is ironic, because throughout the whole movie Rose wants the wifi back so she can finish the episode of Friends that she was watching. And what does she eventually get to do? Watch Friends, the Last One. I think about this in multiple ways: How much we need technology to bring a smile to our face is so sad. To connect with people with don’t even know you and who aren’t even real. Alternatively, it is amazing how comforting it is to spend time watching fictional chronicles that we have truly grown to love and characters that we feel like we know as actual friends. Friends is iconic in that way.
Technology is a trap, planes crash, Manhattan explodes, real human friends may or may not be true friends in the end, and strange diseases interfere with life or at least what’s left of it. What happens next?
There are no defined conclusions. When measured against the expectations of a standard story structure in the world today, Leave the World Behind feels royally incomplete. As it turns out, the inconclusive concept is the main thing I keep coming back to. What a novel framework to parallel our existence in the universe today. It’s not all closure and happy endings. Things don’t always get wrapped up with a pretty bow slapped on top. A very large part of me feels understood in that sentiment and narrative style. It seems revolutionary and I want more of it.
Let me know if you’ve seen the film or read the book or both. I’m super interested to know your reactions to this one. It seems controversial. I have not yet read the book. If you read my posts at all, you know I struggle with reading fiction, but I added Leave the World Behind by Alam Rumaan to my library holds queue.
Thanks so much for reading! I appreciate your time and value your ideas.
See you next week. 🖤
-Megan