Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for Leave the World Behind.

The Big Picture

A foreign cyberattack is likely the cause of societal collapse, according to the characters in Leave the World Behind. Rose finds solace in watching the finale of Friends amidst the chaos and uncertainty of the situation. The presence and behavior of deer serve as a symbolic representation of how humans are no longer in control of their environment.

As Leave the World Behind hits Netflix, it also gives us plenty to think about. The movie is filled with questions about how people would deal with the fall of society and the structures that keep it in place, the sort of subject that is typical of director Sam Esmail’s work. The stellar cast led by Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, and Ethan Hawke faces catastrophic events from their secluded location, with no information about what’s happening in the world outside and have to figure things out as they grab tidbits of information whenever they can. But what is it all about, though?

Leave the World Behind A family’s getaway to a luxurious rental home takes an ominous turn when a cyberattack knocks out their devices, and two strangers appear at their door. Release Date November 22, 2023 Director Sam Esmail Main Genre Drama Genres Drama

A Foreign Attack Is Likely To Be the Cause of the Collapse
As an investment banker, G.H. Scott (Ali) works moving money around for very powerful people, on a scale far beyond what we, the “little people,” imagine is possible. After he and Clay (Hawke) have their face-off with conspiracy theorist neighbor Danny (Kevin Bacon) to try and get medicine to help with Archie’s (Charlie Evans) infection, they have a conversation in the car and G.H. explains what he thinks is happening: a foreign attack. He even lays down the three-point strategy for destabilizing countries (disabling information and transportation, spreading misinformation, and, finally, a coup d’état after people turn on one another).

G.H. came to this conclusion after connecting the dots regarding his last conversation with his primary client, who works in the defense sector, shortly before the breakdown started two nights earlier, as the client told him to “take care of himself” after asking for a lot of money to be moved around. As the alarm on his phone goes off, marking the one-hour deadline at which he promised his daughter Ruth (Myha’la) they would be back at their house, the three men decide to head to the bunker at their neighbors’ house, the Thornes.

Related ‘Leave the World Behind’ Review: Julia Roberts and Mahershala Ali Are Captivating in Sam Esmail’s Apocalypse Movie Also starring Ethan Hawke and Myha’la, Esmail’s film explores the end of the world in an insular, yet enthralling way.

Back at their house, Amanda (Roberts) and Ruth are wandering the forest looking for Rose after she decides to leave on her own to understand what’s going on. The two of them have to deal with a large group of deer before unknowingly stumbling into the Thornes’ house, where Rose is. Between the face-off with the deer and Amanda and Ruth finding the Thornes’ house, though, they watch the New York skyline in the distance, as explosions lay waste to the city to the sound of gunshots and screams. Ruth’s alarm goes off at the same time as G.H.’s, which also syncs into what looks to be bombs dropping in New York City, possibly marking the collapse of society in the US after people turned on one another exactly as G.H. explained to Clay.

Rose Finally Gets To Watch the Finale of ‘Friends’

We can’t blame Rose, the finale of Friends is a cultural landmark and, for anyone who’s seen the whole series, you just have to watch it. Fortunately, she finds the bunker at the Thornes’ house after feasting on the food they had in their kitchen, and she puts on the DVD where she can finally watch the last episode. She wasn’t able to watch it earlier as the internet and streaming platforms were all down, and right when she got to the last episode. As she starts to watch it, the Friends theme starts to play, claiming “they’ll be there for her,” something none of the older people were capable of doing.

With all this in mind, when Rose finds the Thornes’ bunker filled with all the seasons of her favorite TV series, there’s no doubt in her mind about what to do: sit down and watch TV. That’s about everything she can do. As hedonistic as it may sound, we should just be happy Rose found what mattered to her, as the older people in the house were of no help at all.

What’s Going On With All the Deer?
Image via Netflix

While the adults freak out about what may be causing the communication breakdown in the middle of Leave the World Behind, a very brief report is heard on TV about how everything that’s going on is causing animals to change migration patterns and nature to adjust to the influence of humans on how it works. That’s why there are constantly birds flying, and Clay and Ruth even see flamingos in the swimming pool.

But the most impactful and symbolic of the changes in nature are the deer. Rose sees them all the time lurking around the house the Sandfords and Scotts are trapped in, and every time she spots them, they are in greater numbers. When Ruth finds herself trapped by dozens of them in the shed and Amanda helps her drive them off by screaming, the message is pretty clear: humans are not in control anymore. The deer only leave after the two women scream their lungs out, and apparently, they do it not because Amanda and Ruth frightened them, but because it would be easier to try again another time. From now on, humans will have to wrestle with nature to survive.

‘Leave the World Behind’ Explores Many Topics Present in Sam Esmail’s Work
Image via Netflix

Leave the World Behind adapts the novel of the same name by Rumaan Alam, and, according to the author, the ending in both works is supposed to leave what’s happening open to interpretation. The story and the premise are directly tied to the themes of distrust among people and how easy it is for society and its structures to fall apart. Amanda immediately distrusts the Scotts when they show up unannounced at night, Danny is unwilling to help Clay with medicine for Archie, and Ruth is constantly at odds with the Sandfords. Most of Esmail’s work explores these issues, the best and most extensive of them arguably being the Rami Malek-led series Mr. Robot.

Leave the World Behind is now streaming on Netflix in the U.S.

Watch on Netflix