Movie Review - Leave the World Behind

Director: Sam Esmail
Genre: Drama/ Thriller
Runtime: 138 minutes
Year: 2023
Starring: Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Mahershala Ali, Myha’la, Kevin Bacon, Farrah Mackenzie, Charlie Evans
 
Description: A family’s getaway to a luxurious rental home takes an ominous turn when a cyberattack knocks out their devices, and two strangers (Mahershala Ali, Myha’la) appear at their door.

Review: Amanda and Clay go on vacation with their two children, but that very night their relaxing getaway comes to an end. There is a knock at the door. Because of a power outage in town, the owner of the home and his daughter, want to spend the night. That immediately increases tension.

If you have not read the book it’s based on, written by Rumaan Alam, please avoid the trailer. It spoils the fun. You know from the start of the film that something is wrong, there is constant suspense and an ominous feeling creeps up on you. But you don’t know what it is.

Each character deals with this frustrating situation differently. Amansa is immediately hostile to G.H. and his daughter Ruth. While Clay, on the other hand, wants to keep the peace. Meanwhile, G.H. tries to protect Ruth by keeping many of his concerns to himself. He seemingly knows more about what’s happening.

I read the book earlier this year, which immediately became a new favorite of mine. The book is fantastic and when I learned about a movie adaptation I was excited. A movie is hardly ever better then the book, or even meets the same level. But with this book I felt it could happen. Although I highly enjoyed the film, the book is much better. And they are also very different from each other. The suspense is much more stretched out in the book, you’re kept in the dark way longer. When in the movie, things start happening very early on. It doesn’t take away from the tension though, because you still don’t know what’s going on.

I’m not going to compare “Leave the World Behind” to its source material anymore, because when you look at it aside from the book, it’s a very decent, solid and suspenseful thriller. The first part of the film takes place for the most time in the house. The main characters are trying to figure each other out. The cast is excellent and I especially loved Mahershala Ali as G.H. and Ethan Hawke as Clay. Very strong performances. Julia Roberts and Myha'la are also really solid, but the men are the scene stealers here.

Director Sam Esmail takes nearly two and a half hour to tell his cynical story and with that “Leave the World Behind” is not for everyone. Esmail gives his own inky black review of a faltering society and leaves you with a rotten feeling. And with probably even more questions then when you started the movie. And this is all very similar to the book.

Rating: 3,5/ 5