Leave the World Behind: A Top Netflix End of the World Movie

Netflix’s Leave the World Behind has arrived, delivering a chilling entry into the popular genre of Netflix End Of The World Movies. This apocalyptic thriller, helmed by Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail and starring Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, and Ethan Hawke, plunges viewers into the unnerving story of two families forced together as they grapple with survival during a mysterious, widespread blackout. As technology fails and normalcy evaporates, one thing becomes terrifyingly clear: the world they knew is gone. The inexplicable tech failures are compounded by strange occurrences in nature, like the unsettling behavior of deer near their Long Island refuge, hinting at a catastrophe larger than anyone initially comprehends.

Writer and director Sam Esmail shared his motivation with Netflix: “I had been interested in doing a disaster movie for a while, and I specifically wanted to do one surrounding a cyber attack because I don’t think a lot of people have a concrete idea of what that would look like or how detrimental it would be, not just in America, but globally.” He added, “The impact of technology on society is something that I’ve always been fascinated by because I really do think it dramatically changed the way we interact and evolve as people.” The film, based on Rumaan Alam’s acclaimed 2020 novel, counts Barack and Michelle Obama among its executive producers via their Higher Ground Productions company, alongside Tonia Davis, Daniel M. Stillman, and Nick Krishnamurthy.

Delving into the Plot: What is Leave the World Behind About?

This apocalyptic thriller follows Amanda (Academy Award winner Julia Roberts) and her husband Clay (Academy Award nominee Ethan Hawke) as they take their children, Archie (Charlie Evans) and Rose (Farrah Mackenzie), for a weekend escape to a luxurious rental home. Their vacation abruptly ends when two strangers, G.H. (Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali) and his daughter Ruth (Myha’la Herrold), arrive unexpectedly. They bring news of a baffling cyberattack and seek shelter in the house, which they claim to own. As the crisis escalates and the world outside becomes increasingly menacing, the two families must confront the unfolding disaster and their own places within a society on the verge of collapse. The film is a production of Esmail Corp and Red Om Films, executive produced by Higher Ground Productions.

From Page to Screen: Adapting the Bestselling Novel

Yes, Leave the World Behind is adapted from Rumaan Alam’s bestselling, National Book Award-nominated novel published in 2020. Esmail recalled his immediate connection to the source material: “I read it in one sitting and then reread it a few hours later — the first time as a fan and the second time imagining it as a movie. What Rumaan did so well with this story is that he kept it centered on these characters and the journey they’re all on, and I found a way to expand upon my obsessions while translating it into a cinematic experience: What if technology was the driver behind this collapse?”

Alam felt Esmail was the right creative partner to bring his novel to the screen. “There’s a trust you have to establish with people as an artist, and in my first conversation with Sam, I trusted him and felt I understood him as an artist,” Alam stated. “When he sent me the script, it felt as if I was seeing this story I had come up with being reborn, yet the emotional truth remained the same. It showed me that I had chosen a creative partner who enriched the story, deepened it, and created a different experience, but one with the same destination.” Alam reassured fans of the book: “I have many colleagues and friends who are also novelists who’ve had their hearts broken in Hollywood. I never had that experience working on this project. I always felt like my book was in great hands.”

Unsettling Signs: The Mystery of the Deer

A particularly eerie moment captures the strangeness descending upon the world. While Clay struggles with a non-functional television, he discovers the property surrounded by a silent, staring herd of deer. His daughter Rose cautiously approaches, but the typically skittish animals remain unnervingly still. This unnatural behavior serves as a potent visual symbol that something is fundamentally wrong, though the exact nature of the catastrophe remains elusive.

A herd of deer stands eerily still outside a house in a scene from the apocalyptic movie Leave the World Behind.

Crafting the Setting: Filming Locations

The central house in Leave the World Behind is not just a set piece; it’s a real location. Exterior shots and some interior scenes were filmed at a property in Old Westbury, New York. Esmail sought specific features for the house: an open-plan kitchen and living area to facilitate dynamic camera movement, and a pool visible from the kitchen. To achieve complex shots, including those that seem to move through walls and floors, the production team meticulously built near-exact replicas of key rooms on soundstages in Bethpage, NY.

“It had such a personality in terms of how it was laid out, this hallway with windows that could oversee the pool,” Esmail told Tudum. “It just also, for us as filmmakers, gave us license to be able to move the camera, and interesting angles where I don’t think we could have gotten away with that in other homes.”

Meet the Cast Facing the Apocalypse

The film boasts a stellar cast tasked with portraying the complex emotional and psychological toll of a world falling apart.

Julia Roberts as Amanda Sandford

Julia Roberts portraying Amanda Sandford looking concerned in Leave the World Behind, a Netflix end of the world movie.

About the Character: Amanda is a sharp advertising executive from New York City craving an escape. Her impromptu Long Island getaway with her family is disrupted by the arrival of the homeowners seeking refuge from a blackout. While sometimes appearing privileged and myopic, Amanda possesses a fierce pragmatism, especially when her family’s safety is at stake.

Roberts, also a producer on the film, found Amanda compelling: “She’s just a wildly challenging character,” she told Netflix. “She’s complicated and surprising, and the main reason I took on this role — aside from wanting to work with Sam Esmail again — was the challenge. There are a lot of fine lines in making her understood, but not too unlikeable.” Esmail, who directed Roberts in Homecoming, felt she was perfect: “What’s really great about casting someone like Julia Roberts is that you don’t have to worry about the likeability factor. Julia has the uncanny ability to channel the humanity out of any character, regardless of how flawed they may be.”

Previously In: Pretty Woman, Erin Brockovich, My Best Friend’s Wedding, Eat Pray Love, Ocean’s Eleven, Notting Hill.

Mahershala Ali as G.H. Scott

Mahershala Ali as G.H. Scott in the apocalyptic thriller Leave the World Behind.

About the Character: G.H. is a sophisticated financial advisor with high-level connections. Sensing the city’s blackouts are more than just a power failure, he takes his daughter Ruth to their Long Island vacation home, only to find it occupied by the Sandfords and facing Amanda’s initial distrust.

Esmail praised Ali’s ability to embody G.H.: “Mahershala’s poignant everyman quality mixed with his undeniable charisma make it nearly impossible for him to deliver a substandard performance. That was what G.H. needed, a deep-hearted accessibility that lets him be your avatar into the story.” Ali embraced the role’s difficulty: “I think what attracted me to this character was that I wasn’t sure if I could do it,” he shared. “There were things about his life — being in finance, working with the 1 percent of the 1 percent… that’s something that’s still difficult for me to relate to. So if anything, I was excited about the challenge.”

Previously In: Moonlight, Green Book, True Detective, House of Cards, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

Ethan Hawke as Clay Sandford

Ethan Hawke playing Clay Sandford, looking distressed in the Netflix survival film Leave the World Behind.

About the Character: Clay, Amanda’s husband, is a media studies professor, generally easygoing but rendered helpless by the crisis. He struggles to adapt and take decisive action when faced with the unknown.

Esmail found Clay to be a fascinating subversion of tropes: “Clay as a character is so interesting because he upends everything you’d expect from the patriarch of the family… What Ethan did with him is so difficult to pull off because he took a character that disappoints himself and his family… but instead of begrudging him for it, you instantly relate to him that much more.” Hawke reflected on the discomfort of playing Clay: “I think the most interesting aspect about Clay is how much I don’t enjoy playing him! I’ve spent much of my life trying not to be Clay… Clay represents that in its most egregious form: somebody who means well and does nothing. That could be said for so many of us.”

Previously In: Boyhood, Training Day, Dead Poets Society, Before Sunrise trilogy, The Black Phone.

Myha’la as Ruth Scott

Myha'la Herrold as Ruth Scott confronts the unfolding crisis in Leave the World Behind.

About the Character: Ruth is G.H.’s sharp, 25-year-old daughter. Unafraid to challenge assumptions, she questions both her father’s guardedness and Amanda’s prejudices.

In Alam’s novel, Ruth was G.H.’s wife. Esmail and Alam changed her to the daughter to introduce a millennial viewpoint. Esmail lauded Myha’la’s performance: “Ruth is written as this really sort of brazen, overly confident person, but then there are quiet moments where her fears get the best of her. Myha’la has the range to effortlessly move from one extreme to the other.” Myha’la commented on the character change: “Her generation interacts with technology and media in a different way… So she becomes this interesting intersection of wealth, race, gender, age… She’s young and woke, but she still judges people for their background.”

Previously In: Industry, Bodies Bodies Bodies, Black Mirror, Dumb Money.

Farrah Mackenzie as Rose Sandford

Farrah Mackenzie as Rose Sandford observing events in the tech thriller Leave the World Behind.

About the Character: Rose is Amanda and Clay’s younger child. Her Friends binge-watch is cut short by the blackout, and she seems more attuned than others to the strange events unfolding around them.

Esmail noted Mackenzie’s captivating presence: “She has this otherworldly quality just in her eyes… I found myself always wondering what she was thinking.” Mackenzie described her character: “Rose kind of lives in her own world. She’s curious and inquisitive and she’s kind of the first one to realize or see the beginning of these strange happenings… I think Rose feels alone a lot of the time and that’s why she feels like she can escape into this whole other world of television.”

Previously In: United States of Al, Utopia, Logan Lucky.

Charlie Evans as Archie Sandford

Charlie Evans portraying Archie Sandford, disconnected amidst the crisis in Leave the World Behind.

About the Character: Archie is the teenage son, often lost in his own world of video games and headphones. The loss of connectivity hits him hard, leaving him fixated on his useless phone.

Esmail observed, “I think that Archie doesn’t know how to relate. He’s got his headphones on… that’s how he knows how to exist.” Initially conceived differently, Evans’ audition shifted Esmail’s perception: “Charlie played Archie as a smart-aleck type… What struck me the most is how different his Archie was from what I imagined — and how much better it was for it.” Evans shared a connection with Esmail over film: “I love thrillers and psychological thrillers… I know [Hitchcock, 2001] are both massive inspirations for Sam.”

Previously In: The Park, Everything’s Gonna Be Okay.

Kevin Bacon as Danny

Kevin Bacon as the survivalist Danny in the Netflix end of the world movie Leave the World Behind.

About the Character: Danny is a local contractor who worked on G.H.’s house. More importantly, he’s a survivalist, seemingly better prepared for the unfolding crisis than the city dwellers.

Esmail highlighted Bacon’s nuanced performance: “Kevin turned what could have been a clichéd stereotype of a gun-toting conspiracy theorist into a staunch family man who wanted to protect his loved ones at any cost… Kevin knew exactly how far to push and pull back, making Danny come to life with much more dimensionality.”

Previously In: Footloose, Mystic River, Apollo 13, Hollow Man, Tremors.

The Sound of Collapse: The Leave the World Behind Soundtrack

Esmail carefully curated the film’s soundtrack, aiming for songs less commonly used in media to maintain unique emotional resonance, especially for a key dance sequence. “I’m a strong believer in trying to use music that hasn’t been used in a lot of film and TV because I do think people make associations,” he explained. “When you pick a song like that, it’s really going to end up being another character in the scene… ‘Too Close’ [by Next] just fit the bill. I just thought it was really funny and sweet at the same time. That scene goes from lighthearted and playful to sad and dark within a matter of a minute, so the song had to do a lot of heavy lifting.”

Here is the full list of songs featured in Leave the World Behind:

• Joey Bada$$ “THE REV3NGE”
• Kool & the Gang “Misled”
• Blackstreet “Never Gonna Let You Go”
• TV on the Radio “Winter”
• Next “Too Close”
• The Rembrandts “I’ll Be There for You – Theme from ‘Friends’”
• Nirvana “Breed”
• Eminem “White America”
• Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five “New York New York”
• OutKast “Roses”
• Pop Smoke “What You Know Bout Love”
• Nazar, Shannen SP “Bunker”
• Sufjan Stevens “America”
• ESG “Dance”
• ABBA “The Name Of the Game”
• Red Axes “What Is In Your Head”
• Beastie Boys “Shake Your Rump”
• Diana Ross “Upside Down”
• KPH “Welcome to the Party – Instrumental”
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs “Maps”
• LCD Soundsystem “All My Friends”
• Beck “Lost Cause”
• M83 “Kim & Jessie”
• Nancy Sinatra, Lee Hazlewood “Summer Wine”
• TNGHT “Higher Ground”
• 2Pac, Talent “Changes”

Conclusion: A Must-Watch Apocalyptic Thriller

Leave the World Behind masterfully taps into modern anxieties surrounding technology dependence, societal breakdown, and the unknown threats lurking beneath the surface of our interconnected world. Through the lens of two families thrust into a terrifying survival scenario triggered by a cyberattack, Sam Esmail crafts a tense and thought-provoking narrative. Featuring powerhouse performances from Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, and Ethan Hawke, the film explores complex character dynamics against the backdrop of a collapsing world. Its unsettling atmosphere, highlighted by moments like the eerie deer encounter, and its relevant themes make it a significant addition to the roster of compelling Netflix End Of The World Movies. If you’re looking for a thriller that resonates with contemporary fears while delivering gripping suspense, Leave the World Behind demands your attention.

Leave the World Behind is now streaming exclusively on Netflix.