Leave the World Behind

Warning : Contains SPOILERS for Leave the World Behind .

Summary

As establish inLeave the World Behind ’s ending , there is more to itsFriendsreferences than meets the eye . Adapted from Rumaan Alam ’s eponymousbook , Leave the World Behindinitially seems to stretch out like a distinctive Revelation thriller where a family of four gets stick with a Church Father - daughter duette during a nationwide blackout . However , what on the face of it begins as a psychological dramatic play takes an intriguing turn when the motion-picture show draw several pop music - culture book of facts to hold up a mirror of the impact of mass medium and technology on the world .

FromDonnie DarkotoFight Club , fromMr . RobottoThe West Wing , Leave the World Behinddraws referencesto several display and movies to nab down its overarching themes . However , its most intriguing reference is the one tie toFriends , not only because Julia Roberts was a cast member in the series but also because it dead captivate the motion picture ’s core overarching theme . Using itsFriendseaster egg as a narrative gimmick , exit the World Behindalso dribble a hidden detailin its final moments , reflecting a veridical world concern .

Leave the World Behind never truly explains what the Spanish Lady told Ethan Hawke ’s Clay , leaving viewers curious about what she wanted from him .

Leave the World Behind (2023) - Poster - Deer In Middle Of The Road

Why Friends Plays Such A Big Role In Leave The World Behind

Leave the World Behind’s Friends subplot captures the essence of its core theme

Rose ’s compulsion with finishingFriendsand figuring out what happened to Ross and Racheal ab initio comes off as a subplot inLeave the World Behind . However , before the credits start stray , it becomes evident that it is essential for the motion-picture show ’s portrayal of how " media dish as both an escape and a reflectivity . “In an early here and now inLeave the World Behind , Ruth admit how she , too , has seenFriendsbut believe that it is " almost nostalgic for a time that never existed . " Ruth is old enough to realize that , like every other adult in the movie , because she has lived a significant chunk of her life without screens .

Rose and her chum , however , grew up during a time when it became easy to blind oneself to the day - to - daytime snags of the genuine worldly concern by lam behind screen . When the world around her is crumple , Friendsbecomes the perfect form of escape for Rose because it diverts her focus from a complex world - ending event that no one empathise to a simpler fancied plot line that she knows will have a happy end . Owing to this , while the adults countersink out to address the problems around them and acquire more and more anxious about their future , Rose give up on the outside world and says , " If there ’s any Leslie Townes Hope go out in this f**ked - up man , I wanna at least find out how things turn out for them [ Ross & Rachel ] . "

Leave the World Behindis usable on Netflix for cyclosis .

Jennifer Aniston as Rachel and David Schwimmer as Ross in Friends, and Farrah Mackenzie as Rose in Leave the World Behind

Leave The World Behind Uses Friends To Criticize Netflix

Leave the World Behind’s climactic Friends reference has a hidden detail

By play up how the world still needs physical media for amusement and escapism , particularly when streaming is impossible , Leave the World Behind ’s ending scene highlights the vulgar concerns surrounding the complete eradication of physical medium and the potential consequences of relying too much on online content .

In its subtext surrounding escape and existentialism , Leave the World Behindalso uses itsFriendssubplot to take a poke at Netflix . In the movie ’s culmination moments , Rose finds a whole depository library of physical media in the Thornes ' underground bunker . Seeing it as an opportunity to finally finishFriends , Rose takes the show ’s videodisk and play it on the bunker ’s television . However , before the screen ignite up her look with a smart shade of blue , the flick present how her digit run past the " Netflix " picture on the remote control to arrive at " dramatic play . " This vista shows how streamable media has become useless in the apocalypse .

Netflix recently decide to chuck strong-arm media , which received immense criticism , specially from those who grew up wipe out movies and television from CDs , videodisc , and even cassette mag tape . By highlighting how the existence still needs forcible media for amusement and escapism , particularly when cyclosis is impossible , Leave the World Behind ’s ending scene highlights the common concerns surrounding the complete eradication of physical medium and the potential event of trust too much on online cognitive content . Director Sam Esmail also confirmed ( viaVulture ) that the criticism was intentional .

Ethan Hawke as Clay and Vanessa Aspillaga as the Spanish Lady, Salvadora, in 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.

The conniption also seems to draw a demarcation between the evolution of technophobia . Several repugnance movie in the early and mid - cypher portrayed how curse and supernatural beings traveled through forcible word form of medium to haunt people . This was a logical theme in J - Horror motion picture likeThe RingandPulse . Leave the World Behind ’s endingshows how physical media awe is long gone . It , instead , pretend one"nostalgic for a sentence that never existed . " The world ’s dependance on on-line media , in line , strikes reverence .

Leave The World Behind Isn’t The First Netflix Original To Criticize The Streaming Era

LikeLeave the World Behind , Netflix’sBlack Mirrorseason 6 is also passing critical of the pullulate giant ’s creative choice and praxis . Season 6 ’s episode 2 , " Loch Henry , " walks audiences through the exploitation real people face when streaming platforms document their lawful - law-breaking narratives for entertainment . While it may be surprising that Netflix is allowing so many show and moving-picture show to be so openly critical about its inner workings , bothBlack MirrorandLeave the World Behindare more disapproving of entertainment and medium as a whole , which does not flat harm the streamer ’s report .

Cast

A family ’s lam to a luxurious rental dwelling house takes an threatening crook when a cyberattack knocks out their devices , and two stranger seem at their room access .

Leave the World Behind final shot: Rose Sandford (Farrah Mackenzie) watches Friends.

Loch Henry’s Criticism Totally Misses The Black Mirror Episode’s Point

Headshot Of Julia Roberts in the Los Angeles Premiere Of ‘Ticket To Paradise'

Headshot Of Mahershala Ali In The 96th Annual Oscars

Leave the World Behind