Leave the World Behind

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Leave the World Behind

R

2023

2h 20m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

73%

Tomatometer

160 Reviews

36%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

In this apocalyptic thriller from award-winning writer and director Sam Esmail (Mr. Robot), Amanda (Academy Award winner Julia Roberts) and her husband Clay (Academy Award nominee Ethan Hawke), rent a luxurious home for the weekend with their kids, Archie (Charlie Evans) and Rose (Farrah Mackenzie). Their vacation is soon upended when two strangers -- G.H. (Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali) and his daughter Ruth (Myha'la) -- arrive in the night, bearing news of a mysterious cyberattack and seeking refuge in the house they claim is theirs. The two families reckon with a looming disaster that grows more terrifying by the minute, forcing everyone to come to terms with their places in a collapsing world.

Critics Consensus

An exceptionally well-acted apocalyptic thriller, Leave the World Behind steadily draws the viewer in despite its leisurely pace and somewhat simplistic messaging.

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Audience Says

After a pretty strong start, Leave the World Behind loses its way, fumbling an interesting premise with unlikable characters, unbelievable dialogue, and a disappointing ending.

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Lillian Crawford

Empire Magazine

03/15/2024

2/5

The tension is breathless and well-constructed, but since they begin with the dial at eleven, there is nowhere to go throughout the film’s exhausting 140 minutes.

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Rafer Guzman

Newsday

12/20/2023

2/4

The end of the world is always a valuable thought experiment; it makes us start asking important questions. Alam’s book wondered: “What if?” But Esmail’s movie mostly wants to know: “How come?”

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Wenlei Ma

PerthNow

12/19/2023

3.5/5

We’re not in control, but Sam Esmail is of his startling, character-driven doomsday story about what happens when there’s the very real possibility everything is about to end.

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Marta Medina Pérez

mundoCine

Aug 3

3/5

Despite its slow pace and a somewhat simplistic, repetitive message about the digital age, Leave the World Behind remains an intriguing and formally striking film, thanks to Esmail’s stylised eye. [Full Review in Spanish]

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Guillermo Troncoso

Screen Realm

Jul 31

3.5/5

We’ve seen similar ideas before, but Leave the World Behind holds its own. It’s well-acted, confidently directed, and tense enough to keep you watching — even if it doesn’t quite stick every landing.

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Alfred Castaneda

Shade Studios

Jul 30

By the end of the film, the cast feels like they haven’t figured out where they really belong just like the house that seems to exist in a non-existent plot on Long Island. Even the self-driving Teslas don’t know where to go.

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Steven

11/27/2023

Really tense and thought provoking movie that is also a lot of fun, like early Spielberg.

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Remzy

11/25/2023

The last scene made me smile.

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Robyn K

11/23/2023

Film was well made and the acting was terrific. The subject matter, however, was quite perturbing...as it is so close to what we're potentially really facing. People, wake up and smell the coffee...

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shrimp T

@RT76493557 2d

The most extreme example of a "nothing-burger" movie I have ever seen in my life. It feels like a half-decent short story collection that was adapted into film but stripped of any personality, and they forgot to actually give an overarching plot that matters to connect them with. Weird thing happens, everyone turns to each other and goes "Wow, that was weird, why did that happen?", and then that repeats like five or six times and then the movie ends. There's nothing to take from it, no interesting character exploration to consider, no tangible message, and maybe one memorable scene only. It is trying SO HARD to say something profound to the point it's falling on its face. Watching paint dry on a wall for 3 hours would feel more intellectually stimulating and entertaining than watching this movie.

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Sombrerete M

@RT53854858 3d

I just saw this in 2026, it keep me interested , I watched till the end, but it has no end XD, hope they do a part 2

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Dan B

@danbgoestothemovies 3d

A rare movie that makes you think "It can't be this bad and stupid with the people involved in making it" but it really is, and will make you irritated for having wasted time on it. The acting is solid, but the characters' responses to events in the movie are just so contrived to force the movie into a psychological thriller/horror genre, when really what the overriding plot is apocalyptic disaster movie that would kick off a world war. There are just so many places where characters respond in a nonsensical way, that it's too tedious to list. Add on top of it that virtually every plot driver they use is physically impossible, or blatantly ridiculous even to a reasonably informed viewer. It's just takes you out of the experience to try and reconcile "What were they trying to do with this movie?"

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Sam Esmail

Director

Julia Roberts

Amanda Sandford

Mahershala Ali

G. H. Scott

Ethan Hawke

Clay Sandford

Myha'la Herrold

Ruth Scott

Kevin Bacon

Danny

Leave the World Behind: First Look

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Leave the World Behind: Final Trailer

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Leave the World Behind: Trailer 1

2:08

Leave the World Behind: Teaser Trailer

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Synopsis

In this apocalyptic thriller from award-winning writer and director Sam Esmail (Mr. Robot), Amanda (Academy Award winner Julia Roberts) and her husband Clay (Academy Award nominee Ethan Hawke), rent a luxurious home for the weekend with their kids, Archie (Charlie Evans) and Rose (Farrah Mackenzie). Their vacation is soon upended when two strangers -- G.H. (Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali) and his daughter Ruth (Myha'la) -- arrive in the night, bearing news of a mysterious cyberattack and seeking refuge in the house they claim is theirs. The two families reckon with a looming disaster that grows more terrifying by the minute, forcing everyone to come to terms with their places in a collapsing world.

Director: Sam Esmail
Producer: Sam Esmail, Marisa Yeres Gill, Lisa Roberts Gillan, Chad Hamilton, Julia Roberts
Screenwriter: Sam Esmail
Distributor: Netflix
Production Co: Esmail Corp., Red Om Films, Higher Ground Productions, Netflix Studios
Rating: R (Language|Drug Use|Brief Bloody Images|Some Sexual Content)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 22, 2023, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 8, 2023
Runtime: 2h 20m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital