Was the Netflix film, “Leave the World Behind,” a Warning?

Conspiracy mindsets want to know.

If you haven’t seen the recent Netflix movie, Leave the World Behind, don’t bother. If you have, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for myself, too, because, like you, I wasted two hours and twenty minutes of my life that I will never get back.

In spite of its “A-list” cast, including Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Mahershala Ali, and Kevin Bacon, the film — at least in my opinion — is a frustrating and amateurish flop.

It seemed at times like the director was a first-year film student experimenting with zoom lenses, odd camera angles, and an indulgent collection of bizarre “artistic” ideas.

The background music — which should normally be a subtle, almost subconscious element used to guide the mood and perceptions of the audience — was so brash and heavy-handed that it felt offensively manipulative and irritating.

The story itself was flat and uninteresting and offered very little action or intrigue. If the director was trying to confuse and irritate the audience — which I suppose could align with the premise and overall message of the film — he was successful.

But boredom and disappointment would be better descriptions of my experience as an audience member.

I wasted two hours and twenty minutes of my life that I will never get back.

The ending of the film … spoiler alert … stop reading now if you haven’t seen the film yet and still want to … (I’ll pray for you). The ending of the film is something a lot of people have mentioned in their response to watching it.

One reviewer on “Rotten Tomatoes” quipped that, “It doesn’t so much end as just stop.” Another commented that “the ending is glib and means less than zero…”

My personal response to seeing the closing credits appear suddenly on the screen without warning — and one I predict was quite common among viewers — was simply, “WTF?”

In case I haven’t expressed my opinion clearly, I did not like the film.

That is to say, I did not like the film as a “film.” The premise of the film, however, was disturbingly plausible and received with a nagging whiff of distrust and suspicion about the film’s intent.

Okay, I admit it. A trace of the conspiracy theory crazies have tainted the atmosphere over the past few years.

Prior to the insanity of the 2020+ “lockdown” mandates, including the onslaught of misinformation, distorted reactions, and unprecedented polarization that followed, I wouldn’t have thought twice about this film and most likely would have relegated it to the pile of other doomsday, end-of-the-world thrillers lining the shelves of various Hollywood archives.

But this one seems different.

Was the pandemic and the ensuing social insanity that followed simply a precursor to see what kind of control can be levied over a population?

Several YouTubers and TikTokers seem to think so. (And we all know how credible social media influencers are when it comes to these kinds of issues.)

But, setting the rants of social media pundits aside, the optics of the film enlisting specialized guidance from Barack and Michelle Obama does seem a little unnerving. At least initially.

A trace of the conspiracy theory crazies have tainted the atmosphere over the past few years.

I mean, why would a former U.S. President and his wife be called on to provide information on a disaster film portraying a situation where society’s Elites are the only ones informed of — and able to prepare for and escape — a crippling cyber-attack on our infrastructure, while the rest of us are left to deal with the aftermath?

Do they know something we don’t?

I’m sure they do. But I’m not totally convinced they’re participating in any sort of Illuminati-based plot to cull the world population through a man-made technological catastrophe.

It turns out the Obamas love movies and started their own film production company in 2018 (Higher Ground Productions). In addition to being co-executive producers for Leave the World Behind, they have also helped produce other Hollywood films, including Kevin Hart’s Fatherhood and Michael Keaton’s Worth.

It should also be noted that the Obamas were not brought on board for the film until the majority of the script had already been written, which is based on a book by the same title.

According to director, Sam Esmail, the former President’s main focus for working with the film was “making it into a good movie.” (Massive fail, in my opinion.)

All this to say that I don’t really believe the film is intended to be a precursor or warning to an upcoming technological crisis in the near future.

Although the very real possibility of something like this happening is still terrifyingly plausible.

Do they know something we don’t?

I admit that my latent, anxiety-filled reaction to this film was augmented to some extent by my experience last August during the Maui fires in Hawaii.

For several days after this real-life disaster, the resort where my wife and I were staying was completely cut off from any communication with the outside world.

There was no electricity where we were staying, which was just a few miles from where the fires were raging in Lahaina. No internet connection. No cellphone service. Nothing.

The sense of isolation created by this technological void was overwhelming and genuinely unsettling.

It felt otherworldly.

The crisis created by the nearby fires fed the growing atmosphere of panic and dread.

I realized during this time how dependent we have become on technology for nearly everything in our modern lives. When it suddenly disappeared, I had a new understanding of how helpless and vulnerable we can be without it.

While I don’t recommend the film, Leave the World Behind, as a satisfying or commendable work of cinematic art, I do admit that the premise and message of the script wave some disturbingly sober flags over our current landscape and modern ways of life.

I realized during this time how dependent we have become on technology for nearly everything in our modern lives.

I don’t plan on building a cement fallout shelter in my basement and stocking it with clean water and non-perishable food.

(Although I did locate the Swiss Army Knife in the bottom of my junk drawer and bought extra batteries for my flashlight.)

First, I don’t have a basement. Second, I don’t have the resources. Third, I don’t think it’s necessary.

At least not yet.

But I do plan to pay more attention to what’s happening in our world.

I also plan to continue living my life every day in a way that has meaning and purpose.

I plan to continue loving my family and my friends and my neighbors as best I can.

I plan to be grateful for what I have right now and to be hopeful for our future.

There’s still a lot of good out there.