There is a lot to unpack in Netflix’s film Leave the World Behind.
Well have a go.
Heres what I made of the film and its closing moments.
However, this is not an apocalypse movie, or a post-apocalypse movie, its a pre-apocalypse movie.
Suspicious of George, Amanda is prickly and rude, while Clay is lazily friendly.
As the situation grows worse, tensions and loyalties in the house shift.
Rose doesnt notice the bits that havent aged well, as Ruth does.
Rose tells her brother she thinks that no one cares what she says.
Youre probably right, her brother replies.
She sees the deer, and says they are warning them.
She sees the flamingos and knows things arent right.
God points out that hed sent the warnings, the boat and the helicopter.
Instead Rose turns away from failed digital technology, and in the direction of nature.
She takes her bike (mechanical) and rides in the direction of the deer.
What happens next?
But nothing happens at the end, I was expecting the apocalypse!
Anecdotally it seems like some people are disappointed by an ending that they see as anti-climactic.
Disappointing or otherwise, theres an internal logic.
We dont know if whole cities, or indeed countries, have fallen.
We, the audience, dont know, because the two families in question dont know.
Clay is the absolute epitome of this and his character has a lot to say about privilege.
Clay on paper is a nice friendly guy.
But thats because he has that luxury.
Hes very happy to invite George in and share a drink with him with the kids upstairs.
Its Amanda who comes across as the bad guy because she is distrustful and worried about her children.
Ruth points out that Clay seems like the kind of guy to whom things come easily.
Hawke portrays this brilliantly.
Hes the nice looking white man with a scruffy beard and a band t-shirt.
He teaches media studies (very much not a coincidence in the context of the film).
Ruth asks if hes ever slept with a student.
Is it or not?
We cant know for sure but the perception is there.
That super awareness is something Clay never has to have, whereas young women must.
He can just let a stranger into his house to share a cocktail.
The women cant be as careless.
And so Ruth doesnt really want to help the Sandfords.
What do the deer mean?
Hundreds of deer appear in the back garden of Georges house.
Rose notices them first and pays attention, while Archie keeps missing them.
Towards the end of the film Amanda and Ruth encounter the deer and perceive them to be a threat.
Amanda starts shouting and waving her arms at them and eventually Ruth joins her.
The two manage to scare the deer off.
Had they followed the deer theyd probably have found Rose.
There does seem to be juxtapositions of nature versus technology.
The natural world will survive seems to be the message.
A universal reset
The end of the movie seems to suggest a reset back to the 90s.
What did you make of it?
Let us know below.
