Leave the world behind (Netflix)
When a deer stops and stares at a character in a movie, you know that it's supposed to symbolise something profound. The animal senses something that the human does not. Eyes meet, a connection is made, and then the deer leaves. A mysterious cosmic meeting of man and beast. Sometimes the deer will return again. This time toward the end of the movie, symbolising our heroes growth throughout, and the approval of this majestic creature. If it's a wolf you know the journeys has been even more symbolic.
In Netflixs’ "Leave the World behind", towards the end of the movie, Amanda, played by Julie Roberts, is not just confronted by one deer, no, by hundreds, just incase you didn't understand the growth and symbolism of the characters journey so far.
The herd of deer stand, staring deeply into Amandas’ sole. Amanda proceed to cackle and scream like a crazy person scaring them away. Amanda didn't grow much in the movie. God knows what she would have done if it was a wolf.
It's a welcome return to the movies for Julia Roberts along with the imperious Mahershala Ali as GH Scott. Ali is so smooth he could be conducting open heart surgery on you without anesthetic and you would be calmed by his voice.
Unfortunately neither of them can save this film from it's meandering story and unsatisfying conclusion.
The movie starts out well. Julia Roberts getting her family organised for a weekend away at an air bnb. Ethan Hawke plays the constantly high looking husband ( I'm not sure it's an act) , and there's is the obligatory son and daughter.
The young daughter played by Farah Mackenzie, is supposed to be about 10- 12 years old Farah is 18, unfortunately you can tell from her face she is older, and it makes the character seem off. She plays a stereotypical young child in the 2000s so obviously she is addicted to her iPad. Constantly having her face glued to the screen. Obsessed with Friends, all she wants to know is if Ross and Rachel get together. The son, a moody teenager ( the movie isn't cliché at all) spends his time saying one word syllables and being grumpy. That is until Ali and his daughter Myha'la turn up unexpectedly in the middle of the night.
Ali is the owner of the air bnb, and due to some major incident, has had to turn around on his planned trip to the city, and decided to come back to his home in the outskirts.
Cue Julie Roberts trying to hide her racist instincts as a black man is her presence, and Myha'la, less restrained than Ali, and rightly so, calling her out.
The wifi goes, and the daughter is distraught at missing the Friends finale.Ali knows more than he's letting on about the situation, but actually he doesn't know much, and when confronted by Julia Robert later on his explanation of what's happening leaves us even more confused.
Julia doesn't believe him anyway, even though she saw an out of control oil tanker maroon it's self on the beach nearly killing her family earlier in the day.
Various electrical problems start to occur, showing us how we are too reliant on technology. There is even a scene of why you shouldn't buy a Tesla. Hundreds of the brand new electric cars go out of control and pile up on the only road out of town.
Ethan Hawkes meanwhile is chased down by a drone, ala Carry Grant in North by North West. The drone is distubing some leaflets writting in Arabic, heightening the feeling of doom.
Kevin Bacon makes a cameo ( its seems that's all he does nowadays) as a survivalist hoarder who's Christmases are all about to come all at once, as his conspiracy thoeries are about to come true.
The moody son inexplicably starts to lose his teeth. For some reason he is very calm about this, and for some reason only his teeth are affected in the household. Maybe he didn't floss.
The men take the son to Kevin Bacon, assuming he'll have the solution. For some idiotic reason they take some random pills off him that he says should help the boy. 1. They don't know why his teeth are falling out and 2. They don't even know what these pills are. But they happily pile the child with them.
Kevin Bacon helpfully informs them that a house not far from them is fully equipped with an underground bunker, and suggests’ for Ali and Hawke to take their families there.
The daughter, who nobody cares about, wanders off into the woods,and conveniently finds the house that Kevin Bacon was describing.
This house doesn't just have a underground bunker. It has its own eco system, enough food to feed a family for years, it's own energy source and, most importantly, a dvd collection. It makes you wonder how good Kevin Bacons set up was that, aware about this house, he decided to stay in his own.
The girl switches on the dvd player and sticks in the last episode of Friends. We are to assume that the rest of the family will find her I guess.
Ali explains what he thinks is happening, the first part in the over throw of the government. Julie Robert and Myha'la, calmly watch New York city being bombed, as we wonder if the son will every get to see a dentist in this post apocalyptic world.
