“Haven’t you been paying attention to what’s going on out there… We’ve all been deserted.”

This is one of the final lines in “Leave the World Behind,” a disaster genre film which Netflix released for streaming Dec. 28. Based on Rumaan Alam’s 2020 novel, director Sam Esmail and executive producers Barack and Michelle Obama present a stark depiction of the U.S. falling into a doomsday-type situation. 

The two hour and 18 minute film follows the fictional Sandford family on vacation in an Airbnb outside New York City. 

Julia Roberts plays the wife, Amanda, who is an uptight working mother of two, married to a Type B professor, Clay, played by Ethan Hawke. The couple has two screen-obsessed teenagers: Archie (Charlie Evans) and Rose (Farrah Mackenzie). 

When the Sandfords arrive, they visit the beach where they encounter the first of many strange events. An abandoned oil tanker called the White Lion grounds on shore, scattering alarmed beachgoers. 

That night, the Airbnb’s homeowner, George “G.H.” Scott (Mahershala Ali), and his college-aged daughter, Ruth (Myha’la Herrold), unexpectedly arrive at the Airbnb in the middle of the night while the Sandfords are staying there. Because of a citywide blackout, the Scotts ask to stay the night. In typical Type A, Type B fashion, Amanda doesn’t trust the Scotts while Clay doesn’t see the problem with letting two strangers stay in the house with his family. 

The Scotts stay in the basement that night, and the next day it becomes apparent there might be some truth to their story as the TVs, phones, and radios continue to be without signal. Then George watches a plane crash onto the beach, and a drone drops thousands of Iranian pamphlets reading “Death to America.”

TikTok users have dissected “Leave the World Behind” down to the heavy use of blue, the Airbnb’s paintings, and Rose’s obsession with “Friends.” 

Throughout the film, blue is a recurring color, symbolizing the chilling atmosphere of doom that increases around the Sandfords and Scotts. Amanda always wears blue clothes, the Sandford’s bedroom in the city is painted bright blue, and the televised emergency alerts are screens of cerulean.

Deer serve as another symbol within the story – one that’s comforting but apprehensive. They serve as a reminder for the characters to trust nature, not unreliable man-made things like phones.

Hollywood’s liberal allegiance makes an appearance in the film, with nods to America’s history of slavery and a portrayal of modern racial dynamics. The bias is realized through details like the White Lion and the 1619 radio channel. The White Lion was the name of the ship which brought the first slaves to America, and 1619 is the year the White Lion arrived in Virginia.  

The film’s New York City setting also recalls the country’s founding. The original U.S. colony was significant in winning the American Revolution, creating a full circle effect of the country’s founding and demise. 

B-roll shows satellite footage of the earth. Combined with the abandoned mansions neighboring the Airbnb, the b-roll proposes the possibility that the world’s wealthiest people — those part of the “evil cabal” — will “leave the world behind” to save themselves from whatever tragedy awaits. While viewers never find out what happens to the main characters, they certainly appear to be the last people on earth. 

Obama’s involvement in the film gives credibility to the societal collapse the movie portrays. After serving as president of the U.S. for eight years, Obama undoubtedly gained a deep insight into the inner workings of international affairs and politics. 

In an interview with Vanity Fair, Esmail said he worked with Obama while writing the script in order to make the film as accurate as possible. 

“I am writing what I think is fiction, for the most part, I’m trying to keep it as true to life as possible, but I’m exaggerating and dramatizing,” Esmail said. “And to hear an ex-president say you’re off by a few details… I thought I was off by a lot!”

Regardless of your political affiliation, Obama supplies this film with the realistic dystopian feeling other films have missed.   

While some may consider the movie to be a conspiracy theorist’s fantasy, it really serves as a unique insight from elite members of the nation. Disaster can strike when least expected, so maybe doomsday preppers aren’t as crazy as some think.