Summary
- The five-part structure of the movie corresponds to different stages of the plot, as explained by one of the characters.
- The strange animal behavior in the movie is linked to a cyberattack and environmental disaster happening in other parts of the country.
- Rose's desire to watch Friends is a meta-commentary on the dual use of media for both escapism and commentary - just like Leave the World Behind itself.
The Leave the World Behind ending sees New York City getting bombed, while Rose finds the Thorne's bunker so she can watch Friends and the two families can find shelter there. Leave the World Behind is a Netflix movie written and directed by Sam Esmail based on a novel by Rumaan Alam. Leave the World Behind is a part of Netflix's multi-picture producing deal with Barack and Michelle Obama and features performances from Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Mahershala Ali, Kevin Bacon, and more.
Amanda Sandford (Julia Roberts) books a stay at a vacation home, but their trip barely begun when a massive cyber attack takes out the internet and communications networks. The homeowner GH (George) Scott (Mahershala Ali) and his daughter Ruth (Myha'la) return home unexpectedly and the two families struggle to trust each other. Things get worse and worse until Clay Sandford (Ethan Hawke) and George go to his neighbor Danny (Kevin Bacon) for medical assistance, and he suggests they find the Thornes' bunker, which Rose Sandford (Farrah Mackenzie) already found so she could watch the Friends finale.
9 Biggest Changes Netflix's Leave The World Behind Makes To The Book
In making the leap from page to screen, Sam Esmail implements some big changes, rendering Netflix's Leave the World Behind different from the book.
Leave the World Behind's Five Part Structure Explained
GH Explains It All To Clay
Leave the World Behind is divided into five sections, each of which is denoted with a title screen. They are Part I: The House, Part II: The Curve, Part III: The Noise, Part IV: The Flood, and Part V: The End. The titles make sense because they all refer to the events that happen within that section, but the five-part structure has a little more meaning to the plot of the movie as well. The first two parts are sort of a prelude, but parts III, IV, and V each coincide with one of the stages of the plot GH describes to Clay at the end of Leave the World Behind while they're sitting in GH's car outside Danny's house.
Leave the World Behind could have worked with just three parts, but Part I and Part II make a lot of sense as precursors to GH's three phases.
The plan outline includes stage 1: isolation, designed to "make the target deaf and dumb," which clearly coincides with "the noise" from Part III. Stage 2 is synchronized chaos, which is characterized by synchronized attacks and misinformation. This corresponds to "the flood" subtitle from Part IV since that's when they're flooded with misinformation such as the red cards. Finally, stage 3: coup d'état, coincides with Part V: The Last One. Given the movie's timeline and plot, Leave the World Behind could have worked with just three parts, but Part I and Part II make a lot of sense as precursors to GH's three phases.
Why Were the Animals Acting So Weird?
The Flamingos Are LIkely There Due To Some Kind Of Disaster
After the Sandfords see the White Lion oil tanker wash ashore, they return to the vacation home where Amanda and Clay see a herd of deer in the backyard. Initially, Clay says seeing deer is a good omen according to Mesoamerican mythology, but it's clearly a sign of the bad things to come. The deer aren't the only animals to appear on the property as flamingos land in the pool one night, and flocks of birds are seen flying throughout the movie. Towards the end, the deer even surround Ruth and Amanda in an uncharacteristically threatening manner. The strange animal behavior isn't completely explained, but there are plenty of clues presented.
...the closest place the flamingos could be from is Florida...
When Clay takes the car to go into town, he gets out to search for cell phone signal and the car radio briefly picks up a broadcast warning "we're now getting reports that the fallout from the ongoing cyber attack has led to a catastrophic environmental disaster in the south, impacting animal migration patterns." The exact nature of the attack isn't clear, but the oil tanker crashing into the beach is a good clue of what's going on in other areas of the country. Considering the closest place the flamingos could be from is Florida, oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico and a handful of other catastrophes could push animals north to New York.