by Jack Grimme, Contributing Writer

Leave the World Behind finds Amanda (Julia Roberts) and Clay Sandford (Ethan Hawke) in a bit of a slump. Disillusioned by undisclosed recent events, the couple decides to take their kids on an impromptu vacation to provide respite from an increasingly isolating society. The trip is promptly derailed by off-putting occurrences and secretive strangers that force the family to reevaluate their understanding of the world. Uniting Roberts and Hawke with the ridiculously talented Mahershala Ali is more than enough to justify giving this picture a chance. As the mystery unravels, do the pieces come together to form a beautiful puzzle, or fall apart before offering any meaningful payoff? I think the answer might be a little of both.

Director Sam Esmail seems to be wearing his influences on his sleeve with this outing. The slow plotting, vague imagery, and overarching conspiracy makes this feel like something straight out of M. Night Shyamalan’s catalog. Additionally, the camera work, with the long pans and zooms, are reminiscent of the aforementioned director’s style. Parts of the score even remind of James Newton Howard’s work on Signs. Admittedly, none of these things are inherently bad. I love a good mystery that teases the audience with visual clues and inexplicable circumstances. And the creative camera work invites the audience to look for these hints and challenges them to interact with the picture on another level. The primary downside is that it left the film feeling a little lifeless and indistinct at points. Many of these ideas have been explored before. It ends up coming across more like copying a successful formula than setting out to create something truly original.

This issue bleeds into other elements of the story as well. The core cast all offer some serviceable performances. However, most of the character writing is so shallow that it doesn’t amount to anything spectacular. They hint at backgrounds in an attempt to justify decisions, but it does not feel like the writers sat down and ironed these details out. I do not need them to give me a biography for each of the leads, but I do want to feel some consistency and intention behind the motivations. Without it, the punchy message fails to land because we don’t have any recognizable humanity in which to ground the revelations. It doesn’t completely undercut the theme, because I think the message is about society as a whole, but it does make the conclusion abrupt and slightly unsatisfying.

With all that being said, I did have some fun with this film. Unraveling the mystery was certainly the highlight. The pacing is slow, but there are consistently little details sprinkled in. And the mystery is two-fold. As you watch, you work to understand the immediate threat to the family, as well as the piece of society the film is critiquing. I like it when a movie makes you work for the answers, because it allows you to question your own biases. 

And although I am not putting these performances on my year-end list, I will never get tired of watching Roberts, Hawke, and Ali on screen. And Myha’la is a completely new name to me, but her work as Ruth is quite impressive. 

Overall, Leave the World Behind fails to deliver on some promises, but is entertaining nonetheless. If you are looking for something to tide you over between Shyamalan films, I think you can do worse than this. In the meantime, I hope Esmail keeps developing his own style because he shows promise here. Taking time to hone the craft and develop a distinct voice could result in a special career.

Rating: It Was Just Okay

Leave the World Behind is currently streaming on Netflix


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