Leave The World Behind: Book and film review
Leave The World Behind by Rumaan Alam | Book Review, by Faith Cheruiyot
I watched Leave The World Behind before reading the book, and as a harsh critic of book-to-movie adaptations, watching the movie first definitely softened the impact for me. Despite its length, the book felt heavy with detail and left me with many unanswered questions.
The story follows Amanda and Clay, who head to a secluded part of Long Island for a vacation with their young and two teenage children, hoping to escape the hectic pace of New York City and enjoy the comfort of a luxurious rental home. However, their relaxing getaway is interrupted by a late-night knock at the door. Ruth and G. H., an older Black couple arrives, visibly distressed to the house. They reveal that they are the homeowners, and they bring troubling news. They inform them that a sudden blackout has struck the city. With no TV, internet, or cell phone service in the remote location, Amanda and Clay struggle to discern what's true, leading them to question Ruth and G. H. 's intentions and whether they truly are who they say they are.
The book explores themes of race, class, and age, presenting them in a way that encourages readers to read between the lines. These themes are subtly written into the setting and events within the household and the surrounding neighborhood as the characters cope with their new reality. The book, like the movie, highlights the contrast between the adult characters and the younger ones, with the adults confronting their biases. Amanda and Clay, a middle-class family, find it hard to believe that Ruth and G. H. own such a luxurious home, reflecting harmful stereotypes and their own misguided assumptions.
The book's vivid imagery and engaging writing style stood out to me. As I read, I was drawn into a narrative where the tension gradually escalates, compelling readers to engage in speculation and fill in the blanks. This approach mirrors the movie's intense atmosphere, which does an excellent job of building suspense. The transition from book to film is often not met by many films, but this adaptation succeeds in capturing the original's mood and style. My skepticism about movie adaptations might be softening. Emphasis on might.
I recommend this book to anyone but mostly to readers who enjoy stories that are thought provoking and leave them with more questions than answers. Be prepared for a narrative that encourages deep contemplation where every loose end is for you to tie, allowing for different interpretations and understanding.
Watching the movie before reading the book helped me form some ideas about the story, but even so, many questions remained unanswered which can be intriguing or frustrating, depending on your perspective. If you enjoy dissecting stories and discussing them with others, this book offers plenty of opportunities for analysis and reflection.
(Be sure to check out Faith’s blog! You can find it at: Books With Faye)
Leave The World Behind (2023) dir. Sam Esmail | Film review by Nicholas Bayley
Leave The World Behind is a hauntingly provocative psychological thriller that thrusts us into a world teetering on the brink of complete and utter collapse. In keeping with Rumaan Alam’s novel, director Sam Esmail provides an engaging, ponderous sense of mystery that keeps us guessing just as much as the characters were; he repeatedly teases huge revelations but instead he continues to pile on more pieces to the puzzle, amping up the tension until it made every muscle in your body throb uncontrollably.
The film, with its grim apocalyptic setting, is essentially a conspiracy theory come to life. Amanda (Julia Roberts) is very reminiscent of an anti-vaxxer with her refusal to believe that there’s something very awry going on; even when faced with irrefutable facts. The theme of technological anxiety is also expertly woven in, with various forms of technology failing throughout the film. We see a ship crash into the shore, planes falling out of the sky, GPS going haywire and a city-wide blackout. Esmail has fun poking fun at modern society, showing us a world where technology lets us down and we have to find ways to cope without it.
Much like Alam’s novel, the film also features subtle themes of race and class. It’s first abundantly apparent when G.H. Scott (Mahershala Ali) and his daughter Ruth (Myha’la Herrold) are introduced into the story and a bigoted Amanda refuses to believe that “these people”, as she calls them, could be the actual owners of an expensive luxury home. The film stops just short of blatantly calling out Amanda as a racist, in keeping with the book’s inclination to have you read between the lines.
Tod Campbell’s wondrous cinematography was one of the film’s biggest stars. The camera work and movements were truly breathtaking at times; he utilized several different techniques to perfectly complement the capricious nature of the film. The camera work was as incalculable as the story was. Leave The World Behind has a wacky premise, and I was very pleased that Campbell embraced that wackiness rather than stick to a more unadventurous style.
The performances from an excellent cast were also, predictably, amazing. Julia Roberts is excruciatingly unlikeable (complimentary) and Myha’la Herrold is fast becoming one of my absolute faves. She was an absolute delight in Dumb Money (2023) dir. Craig Gillespie and Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) dir. Halina Reijn, and her performance as Ruth in Leave The World Behind continued that trend. Mahershala Ali and Ethan Hawke (who plays Clay) were also captivating throughout and never missed a beat.
Given what we all went through from March 2020 and beyond, I found Leave The World Behind’s story to be gut-wrenchingly real in a way. The characters’ lives were upended and tossed upside down due to unforeseen disaster; much like ours were four years ago. Esmail and his all-star cast and crew excellently and compellingly tapped into that and carried it over to the screen, making this a thoroughly enjoyable and cathartic watch.