The Intriguing References in Leave the World Behind: Exploring the Impact of Media and Technology

Unveiling the Subtle References

Leave the World Behind, adapted from Rumaan Alam's eponymous book, initially seems like a typical apocalypse thriller where a family of four gets stuck with a father-daughter duo during a nationwide blackout. However, the movie takes an intriguing turn by drawing several pop-culture references to hold up a mirror to the impact of media and technology on the world.

Leave the World Behind Rose Watches Friends

From Donnie Darko to Fight Club, from Mr. Robot to The West Wing, Leave the World Behind draws references to several shows and movies to nail down its overarching themes. However, its most intriguing reference is the one tied to Friends, not only because Julia Roberts was a cast member in the series but also because it perfectly captures the movie's core overarching theme. Using its Friends easter eggs as a narrative device, Leave the World Behind also drops a hidden detail in its final moments, reflecting a real-world concern.

Julia Roberts inspecting Teslas in Leave the World Behind

The Role of Friends in Leave the World Behind

Rose's obsession with finishing Friends and figuring out what happened to Ross and Rachel initially comes off as a subplot in Leave the World Behind. However, before the credits start rolling, it becomes evident that it is essential for the movie's portrayal of how 'media serves as both an escape and a reflection.' In an early moment in Leave the World Behind, Ruth acknowledges how she, too, has seen Friends but believes that it is 'almost nostalgic for a time that never existed.' Ruth is old enough to realize that, like every other adult in the movie, because she has lived a significant chunk of her life without screens.

Composite image of Julia Roberts as Amanda Sandford and the rest of the family in Leave the World Behind

Rose and her brother, however, grew up during a time when it became easy to blind oneself to the day-to-day snags of the real world by escaping behind screens. When the world around her is crumbling, Friends becomes the perfect form of escapism for Rose because it diverts her focus from a complex world-ending event that no one understands to a simpler fictional storyline that she knows will have a happy ending. Owing to this, while the adults set out to solve the problems around them and grow increasingly anxious about their future, Rose gives up on the outside world and says, 'If there's any hope left in this f**ked-up world, I wanna at least find out how things turn out for them [Ross & Rachel].'

leave-the-world-behind-unanswered-questions-mysteries

Leave the World Behind is available on Netflix for streaming.

Myha'la as Ruth Scott tells Mahershala Ali as G.H. Scott that Rose is like Donnie Darko in bed in Leave the World Behind

A Critique of Media and Technology

By highlighting how the world still needs physical media for entertainment and escapism, particularly when streaming is impossible, Leave the World Behind's ending scene highlights the common concerns surrounding the complete eradication of physical media and the potential consequences of relying too much on online content. Director Sam Esmail also confirmed (via Vulture) that the criticism was intentional.

Ethan Hawke as Clay Sandford wearing a Bikini Kill t-shirt and Julia Roberts as Amanda Sandford in Netflix's Leave the World Behind

The scene also seems to draw a contrast between the evolution of technophobia. Several horror movies in the early and mid-aughts portrayed how curses and supernatural beings traveled through physical forms of media to haunt people. This was a consistent theme in J-Horror movies like The Ring and Pulse. Leave the World Behind's ending shows how physical media fear is long gone. It, instead, makes one 'nostalgic for a time that never existed.' The world's dependence on online media, in contrast, strikes fear.

Loch Henry's Criticism Totally Misses The Black Mirror Episode's Point

Like Leave the World Behind, Netflix's Black Mirror season 6 is also extremely critical of the streaming giant's creative choices and practices. Season 6's episode 2, 'Loch Henry,' walks audiences through the exploitation real people face when streaming platforms document their true-crime narratives for entertainment. While it may be surprising that Netflix is allowing so many shows and movies to be so openly critical about its inner workings, both Black Mirror and Leave the World Behind are more disapproving of entertainment and media as a whole, which does not directly harm the streamer's reputation.