“Leaving the World Behind” causes many Netflix users to be unhappy about the ending. (Cr. JoJo Whilden/Netflix) (Jojo Whilden/NETFLIX)
WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE ENDING OF LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND
Leave the world behind It's the new bomb Netflix. Starring Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke and Mahershala Ali, the film landed on the platform with all the ingredients for success: a luxury cast, an apocalyptic theme and a fast-paced trailer that piqued public curiosity. It was like this. From the day it was released, it had no competition and became the service's most popular film virtually around the world. But there is a problem: the vast majority of viewers react against it because the ending leaves everyone speechless and perplexed.
An ending that provokes strong rejection on social networks, with critical comments reflecting the general disgust.
That is, if the same thing happened to you, yes Leave the world behind It also left a bittersweet feeling, shifting from perplexity to frustration after 2 hours and 18 minutes of footage. You should know that you are not alone. That negative comments are spread on the networks and in the press. For example, the film barely achieved an approval rating of 40% from the audience on the review portal Rotten Tomatoes, while the specialist critics recorded a more positive, mixed reaction of 75%.
But Let me tell you, it's not that big of a deal. That it is exactly this feeling of disbelief that the director wants to evoke. That this reaction between astonishment and anger is the result of the manipulation of history itself.
However, There is one final message that goes unnoticed in the turmoil of frustrated emotions. But this is a direct slap in the face to streaming. A message that serves as a warning and is considered one of the most relevant in apocalyptic cinema..
“Leaving the World Behind” hides a message of love for cinema in the midst of this divisive ending. (Courtesy of Netflix) (Courtesy of NETFLIX)
Directed by Sam Esmail (Mr. Robot, Homecoming) and based on the novel by Rumaan Alam (with some author-approved changes), the film takes us to the beginning of an apparent apocalypse alongside Amanda (Roberts) and Clay ( Hawke). , a couple who rent a house on the outskirts of New York to spend a few days with their two teenage children: Archie, a boy hormonally obsessed with the female figure, and Rose, the youngest daughter, a Friends -Fan who feels so neglected that his only consolation for happiness is the six friends on TV.
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However, strange situations may occur after installation. From an oil tanker crashing onto the coast to the unexpected arrival of two people in the middle of the night. It's about George (Ali) and his daughter Ruth, who claim to be the real owners of the house and have to spend the night in New York after a power outage. But little by little the bizarre events accumulate and give us enough clues to understand that there is no turning back. That a catastrophe is imminent. Neither telephone, internet, radio or television work. They're isolated and the roads are blocked, while Rose suffers from being unable to connect to streaming services just at the moment she was about to finish the final episode of Friends.
The understandable disappointment of the public
One of the reasons for frustration is that all the details are overlooked. Nothing is explicitly explained. Not the hints of racism and classism, not the origin of the apocalypse, not what is happening or will happen. Nor the development of the characters. They are all cardboard cutouts, avatars positioned in the midst of chaos, serving to demonstrate the natural insignificance of the individual in the midst of universal catastrophe.
However, the clues between extraordinary camera juggling and a setting full of thriller flair are in the air. But when it comes to understanding the story from beginning to end, perception, conclusion and outcome depend on each individual. It is a mystery and a reflection of paranoia. The same one we assume would cause an apocalypse. Which explains the unfinished ending.
And I don't just say that based on my perception. The director himself explained it in an interview with Vulture after the emotional reactions that the ending of his film caused. “A lot of times they don’t get the answers they want,” he said of the characters. “It's like in life. We have to face the ambiguity and live with it. The ending must evoke a feeling of paranoia. It must evoke the feeling of not knowing the answers to the question “What did I just see?” Am I in danger now?'”
“Leaving the world behind” offers an unfinished ending from which everyone can draw their own conclusions (Cr. Courtesy of Netfix) (Courtesy of NETFLIX)
**SPOILER ALERT**
AN END WITH A MESSAGE TOWARDS NETFLIX
As the millions of viewers who devoured this production have seen, the film explicitly leaves us in suspense at the end. George points out that the world is descending into utter chaos and that the worst-case scenario is a civil war in which humanity will face uncertainty and despair. But it is his conclusion that he draws based on his experience as a market analyst. It's not a sure science. However, at the same time we see smoke rising from downtown New York City while gunshots and horns can be heard. A visual clue that makes us think that maybe George has a point.
And then the film ends with little Rose finding some neighbors' bunker. A place prepared for the apocalypse, with water, food and everything you need to comfortably survive a long season.
And there you can see the end Friends. A series that, as she tells her brother in one scene, “makes her happy.” “I really need it now,” he explains. “If there is still hope in this cursed world, I at least want to find out how it turned out for her. They are close to my heart,” he said about the protagonists of this legendary series.
The ending of “Friends” is part of the “Leaving the World Behind” equation. (Photo by NBCU Photo Bank) (NBC via Getty Images)
Through Leave the world behind We can find messages about prejudice, human electronic dependence, interrelational deficits, the sublimity of an advanced society, social separation, etc. Personally, I would define it as an emotional apocalypse rather than the explicit apocalypse we usually see in this genre with natural disasters, zombies or alien invasions. However, since it is an unfinished ending that forces the viewer to work and accept that we need to exercise our own perception and imagination to understand the outcome (or simply accept that things are so doubtful in the apocalypse would be), I invite you to keep watching and observe the clear message this ending sends.
Throughout the film, Rose suffers from her loneliness, her parents' neglect of her feelings, and her older brother's viciousness. I was just discovering the ending of “Friends,” an iconic series that allows many viewers to understand their desperation and attachment to the characters that end up becoming part of their lives. But he's close to knowing if Ross and Rachel will get together at the same time as the apocalypse breaks out, without television or the Internet to give him access to this moment of emotional connection and distraction. In other words, frustration is understandable. When he arrives at the bunker and discovers a huge collection of TV shows and movies on DVDs and VHS, we know he is safe. That your world will change, but at least you have your ground wire handy.
And here a core message emerges: Rose reaches for the remote and her finger completely ignores the Netflix button and presses play on the DVD player.. A detail the director believes people at Netflix didn't notice.
Without a doubt, it is an ode to the physical format, to DVD, vinyl and VHS. This type of access to audiovisual and musical art that, unlike streaming, can always accompany us. Because without the Internet there is no Netflix, no Amazon Prime or anything like that. Without WiFi or grandfathering, stories get lost along the way. A problem that directors like Christopher Nolan have expressed on several occasions when they have seen how many productions, including great classics, disappear from the platforms and risk being forgotten.
And this message of love for cinema and music is full of intentions. “If an event like the one we depict in this film really happens, Netflix will not help you escape,” the director told Vulture as part of the message he is sending with his film. “It has to be physical means.”
And that's something we don't typically see as strongly in the apocalyptic disaster genre: the importance of the distraction that art provides, and the risk of its disappearance as we continue to grow accustomed to our reliance on streaming. In this way, the film ultimately evokes a hidden appeal or reminder to appreciate the physical format and invites us to preserve multiple collections. Because the doubts…
This article was written exclusively for Yahoo en Español by Cine54.
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