In a world increasingly dominated by uncertainty and fear, Leave the World Behind offers a timely and unsettling reflection on the fragility of our modern lives. Based on the acclaimed novel by Rumaan Alam, this film adaptation, directed by Sam Esmail, delves into the psychological and societal tensions that arise when a sudden, unexplained crisis disrupts the lives of two families. With its star-studded cast and thought-provoking narrative, Leave the World Behind is a cinematic experience that lingers long after the credits roll.
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00:00Hi, MysteryRecapped here. Today, I'm going to explain a thriller mystery movie called Leave the World Behind.
00:08Spoilers ahead. Watch out, and take care.
00:13The movie opens in New York, where a man named Clay Sanford awakens from his sleep.
00:18He notices his wife, Amanda, hurriedly packing their belongings, and wonders, what's going on?
00:23Amanda reveals that she has booked an Airbnb for the family in Long Island for the weekend.
00:28Clay is thrilled to hear this, as he too needs a break from his busy life.
00:31However, when he inquires about the reason for the sudden vacation, Amanda says she hates people,
00:37and wants to get away from them for a while.
00:39The scene then cuts to the road trip, where we are introduced to their teenage son, Archie, and little daughter, Rose.
00:45It turns out Rose is a huge fan of the TV show Friends, and is excitedly watching it.
00:50A few hours later, they arrive at the mansion, where they'll be spending the weekend.
00:54It is a beautiful property with a pool and a large backyard.
00:57Clay notices some expensive liquor in the cabinet, but it appears to be locked.
01:01This makes him realize the booze is not for them.
01:04Later, Amanda goes to the local market to get some groceries.
01:08While returning, she notices a bearded man stocking up a large quantity of food and emergency supplies
01:14that'll probably last for a long time.
01:16Amanda finds it odd, but she chooses to ignore it and departs.
01:19In the afternoon, the family heads to the beach for a relaxing time.
01:23Amanda is happy to see that there are far less people as compared to the city.
01:27While everyone is engrossed in their activities, Rose points out that a massive ship is approaching them.
01:33The family ignores it, thinking it's just a normal cargo ship,
01:36but it draws closer and closer, making them realize that something is wrong.
01:41Alarmed, they quickly grab their stuff and make a run for it.
01:44The other people at the beach also flee in haste, causing absolute chaos.
01:48Soon after, the ship crashes onto the shore and gets completely stuck.
01:51A confused Clay asks a security guard what's happening,
01:54to which the latter reveals that there have been three similar incidents today.
01:58In each case, the ship's GPS was not working.
02:01And without GPS these days, everyone is fucked.
02:05Upon returning home, Amanda tries to find information about the ship incident,
02:09but discovers that the Wi-Fi and TV aren't working.
02:12This initially worries her, but then her mood changes when she notices her children having fun in the pool.
02:18The couple also notices a pair of deer in the backyard, which Clay interprets as a good omen.
02:23Later that night, after the kids go to sleep, Amanda and Clay enjoy some wine and play Jenga.
02:28But their romantic moment is interrupted when they hear strange noises coming from outside.
02:33Clay assumes it's an intruder, so he grabs a weapon and carefully proceeds towards the door.
02:38But upon opening it, he is shocked to find a well-dressed man and a girl.
02:41The man introduces himself as George, and says the girl is his daughter, Ruth.
02:46He then reveals that he's the house's owner, with whom Amanda had previously communicated via email.
02:51Upon hearing this, Amanda is suspicious as she has never met the man, but Clay invites him inside anyway.
02:56George then starts explaining his predicament.
02:58He reveals that they were driving home from a concert when there was a sudden city-wide blackout.
03:03They wanted to head to their apartment in the city, but it's on the 14th floor.
03:07Since the lifts were not working, it would be impossible to climb all the way up, given that George has a bad knee.
03:12Hence, the two decided to come to their second home here in the outskirts.
03:16Amanda is hesitant to let them stay, as she doesn't even know if they are the real owners.
03:20However, Ruth gets upset and insists that it's their home, and they can't just be kicked out like that.
03:25Moments later, George uses his keys to open the locked cabinet, where we see an envelope and a pistol.
03:31He takes out $1,000 cash from the envelope and gives it to Amanda as a 50% refund.
03:37He promises that this is only for one night, and they will sleep in the basement.
03:41Clay is blinded by his greed for the money, so he agrees, but his wife is still suspicious.
03:47After this, Amanda begins interrogating George and asks about his wife.
03:51He responds that she is an art dealer and is currently on a trip to Morocco.
03:55He also offers them some expensive liquor, which Amanda refuses straight away.
03:59However, Clay doesn't see it as a big deal and eagerly accepts the drink.
04:03Amanda then asks if George has any ID, but he claims that he accidentally left his wallet at the concert during the blackout commotion.
04:10This makes Amanda even more suspicious, but before she can inquire further, they are distracted by a loud, shrill sound coming from the TV.
04:18Turns out it's an announcement from the U.S. government.
04:21They have declared a state of emergency, but the reason is not specified.
04:25This freaks Amanda out, and she realizes that the situation is critical.
04:29Hence, she eventually agrees to let the father-daughter stay in the basement.
04:32At midnight, the TV switches to an update, revealing that the country is under cyber attack.
04:38But since everyone is sound asleep, they don't even notice the news.
04:42The next morning, Rose approaches her sleeping mother and says that she can't watch the last episode of Friends because they don't have Wi-Fi.
04:49Amanda sends her away from the room and checks her phone.
04:51She notices several notifications about the blackout and a hacking attack.
04:56Worried, she immediately awakens her husband to inform him of the news, but to her shock, the notifications have suddenly vanished.
05:03Later, Amanda goes downstairs for breakfast and meets Ruth, although they are both annoyed to see each other.
05:08They attempt to make some small talk.
05:10Ruth inquires about her and her husband's professions, to which Amanda reveals that she handles business relations, while Clay works as a university professor.
05:18At this moment, George also joins in on the conversation.
05:21Amanda mentions the news about the hacking attack, but George assures her that they're probably just some teen hackers messing around.
05:29Meanwhile, Ruth is concerned about her mother, who's supposed to be on a flight home.
05:33George assures her that she's probably fine and will return soon.
05:36Since they have no idea what's going on in the outside world, he decides to visit one of their neighbors to see if they know anything.
05:42In the afternoon, Clay drives to town to get a newspaper, but soon realizes that the GPS isn't working.
05:48The roads are very quiet, with no sign of people anywhere.
05:52Clay gets lost in no time and struggles to find his way.
05:54Soon after, a Mexican woman approaches him and hysterically pleads for help.
05:59Clay doesn't understand a word she's saying, so he ignores her and drives away.
06:03The woman cries and begs him to return, but he doesn't go back.
06:07As Clay drives forward, he comes across a shocking sight, a drone dropping red papers in the middle of the road.
06:13This freaks him out, and he tries to escape, but the red papers eventually engulf him.
06:18Meanwhile, Rose notices some deer in the forest and tells her brother about it.
06:23The two then venture into the woods looking for them.
06:25They fail to find the deer, but come across an old shed.
06:29Scared, the siblings decide to leave, but Archie is bitten by a bug along the way.
06:33Elsewhere, George arrives at the neighbor's home, but finds no one there.
06:37He descends to the garage and discovers a satellite phone.
06:40He attempts to use it to call the authorities, but it doesn't work.
06:43Following this, he gets out of the house and slowly proceeds towards the nearby beach.
06:47George is horrified when he spots a hand sticking out of the sand, along with other human remains.
06:54Seconds later, he notices a plane approaching directly towards him.
06:58George runs as fast as he can and barely makes it out alive as the plane crashes and explodes.
07:04Shortly after, he returns home and tells Amanda that the situation is far worse than he thought.
07:09He reveals that he just saw a plane crash, and even the satellite phone isn't working, which can only mean one thing.
07:15The hackers have knocked the satellite out of commission just then.
07:19A piercing, high-pitched sound blasts out of nowhere, causing everyone to whimper in pain.
07:25It continues for a while, and then inexplicably stops.
07:28In the aftermath of this incident, Amanda starts becoming paranoid.
07:32She envisions various scenarios like alien invasions and whatnot.
07:36She also mentions that she saw a bearded man at the market yesterday who was buying tons of supplies and food.
07:41She suspects that he knew what was going to happen.
07:44Upon hearing this, George reveals that the man is his contractor, Danny.
07:48He is a self-proclaimed survivalist who is always prepared for situations like these.
07:53At this moment, Clay also returns home, and Amanda hugs him with relief.
07:57He tells them about the drone and shows them the red paper that had been dropped.
08:01The paper is covered in Arabic text, which they don't understand.
08:05But Archie, who plays a lot of video games, explains that it means death to America.
08:10Kids who play Call of Duty all day aren't typically into it for learning new languages, but I'll let it slide.
08:16Hearing this, Amanda has had enough and decides to leave immediately with her family.
08:20George warns that going to the city could be dangerous, but she is willing to take that risk.
08:25Shortly after, the family drives away but doesn't see a single soul on the road.
08:29They soon encounter a roadblock, where tons of cars are lined up.
08:32Amanda gets out to investigate and notices something strange.
08:36All the crashed cars are brand new Teslas, without any drivers.
08:40Moments later, the couple spots another car coming their way.
08:43Clay becomes excited, thinking he can finally talk to someone, but Amanda realizes it's on autopilot.
08:49Thus, they very quickly get inside their vehicle and drive away, narrowly avoiding hundreds of Teslas.
08:54They then return to George's mansion, as it is the only safe house for them right now.
08:59In the evening, Clay and Ruth meet by the pool and have a smoking session.
09:03During this, she attempts to flirt with him and asks if he's ever slept with any of his students.
09:07Clay laughs and admits that he's not that kind of person.
09:09He then changes the topic and reveals about the Mexican woman he met earlier.
09:13Clay says that he feels guilty for not being able to help her.
09:16He also mentions the massive ship that crashed on the beach a few days ago.
09:20This horrifies Ruth, and she starts to believe the country is under a terrorist attack.
09:25Just then, a flock of flamingos lands in the pool, leaving them both baffled.
09:31On the other hand, Amanda and George are bonding over a drinking session.
09:34She apologizes for the way she treated him earlier, and he promptly forgives her.
09:39He then plays some music and the two start dancing and having fun.
09:42They get very close and hug each other, but Amanda points out that they're both drunk and married.
09:47George agrees, and says that he loves his wife a lot.
09:50However, he's scared that she's probably dead by now, and begins to cry.
09:54At this moment, the high-pitched sound rings again, causing everyone to freak out.
09:59The next morning, Amanda wakes up to discover that Archie is sick.
10:02He's not just normal sick, his teeth are suddenly falling out, and he's vomiting blood.
10:08This sends Amanda into a state of panic, and she decides to take him to a hospital immediately.
10:12However, George points out that it won't be possible in their current situation.
10:16He instead offers to take the boy to Danny, who might have some medical supplies.
10:20Just when George prepares to leave, the group realizes that Rose is missing.
10:25This sends everyone into panic mode, and Archie suggests that she might be in the shed they found in the forest.
10:30Amanda decides to find her, while Clay and George proceed to Danny's place with the sick boy.
10:35Ruth pleads with her father not to leave, but he assures her that he'll be fine.
10:39He also asks her to help Amanda, to which she reluctantly agrees.
10:44Shortly after, the two girls arrive at the shed, only to find it empty.
10:47Ruth suggests going back home, but Amanda becomes increasingly frustrated and yells at her.
10:52This leads to an argument, and Ruth eventually breaks down in tears.
10:56She accuses Amanda of being a cold-hearted person who only cares about her family.
11:00Ruth then reveals that her mom is probably dead, and her father might not return at all.
11:05Upon hearing this, Amanda feels bad, and admits that she has a problem with being ill-tempered.
11:11She tells Ruth that she does care about her, and apologizes for her actions.
11:15Following this, they come out of the cabin, only to find hundreds of creepy deer staring at them.
11:20The alpha then comes towards them, and it seems it wants to attack.
11:24But the women unleash their ultimate weapon, screaming at the top of their lungs.
11:28This scares the poor animals, and they run away in fear.
11:31On the other hand, the men arrive at Danny's place to seek help.
11:34However, he shockingly points a gun at them, and demands they step back.
11:38George explains Archie's condition, saying he's gravely ill and requires urgent help.
11:43But Danny refuses to provide any medicine.
11:45He reasons that their nation is at war, and he also has a family to protect.
11:50Clay even offers him a thousand dollars, but the man declines, stating that money has become obsolete now.
11:56He threatens them to leave, but a desperate George pulls out his own gun,
11:59insisting that they won't budge until they get the medicine.
12:02Tensions begin to flare, and the men almost shoot each other.
12:05However, Clay intervenes just in time, and calms them down.
12:08He admits that he's a useless man, but he can't let his son die like this.
12:13Clay further explains that despite their differences, they share one thing in common.
12:17The desire to protect their families.
12:19The speech finally convinces Danny, and he agrees to provide the pills in exchange for the money.
12:24After this, the men return to the car, and George informs Clay that the situation is more serious than he thought.
12:30He explains that a military guy once told him about a three-step maneuver to overthrow a government from within.
12:36The first step is to isolate the population, which means cutting off all communication.
12:41The second step is to create synchronized chaos, which means misinformation such as the weird red papers.
12:48And the final step is civil war, in which people begin to fight amongst themselves.
12:52The most cost-effective way to bring down a nation, especially one as dysfunctional as America.
12:59George stresses that no matter what happens, they must not turn against each other.
13:04Elsewhere, Amanda and Ruth are still looking for Rose, when they suddenly stop to stare into the distance.
13:09They watch in horror, as Manhattan is bombed, and a riot erupts across the city.
13:15In the final scene, we see that Rose has snuck into one of the neighbor's mansions.
13:19She consumes a delicious meal, all by herself, with zero care of what's happening.
13:24She even hears her mother's voice in the distance, but ignores it and ventures further into the house.
13:29Rose soon discovers a bunker, equipped with everything one could need.
13:32Food, water, gym equipment, books, and plenty of supplies.
13:36The internet is also working, and a news update reveals that the White House has been attacked by rogue armed forces.
13:43As if that's not all, the radiation levels have increased significantly in different parts of the country.
13:48However, Rose ignores all of that, as she spots a collection of DVDs, which includes Friends as well.
13:55She pops it in and plays the final episode, and settles down to watch as the movie comes to an end.