Leave the world behind (2023) review: Don't look up, please.
All the screenshots in this post were taken directly from the movie by me.
ENGLISH
I had put off my first viewing of "Leave the world behind" quite a bit for a simple reason: I don't like it when the conversation around a film distances itself from its quality.
For weeks it was inevitable to read hundreds of conspiracy theories, which, although they helped attract the masses to this film, also ignored those aspects that generally make us enjoy (or not) a specific work: the quality of its script, its direction, music, photography, the performances of the main and supporting actors and the ability it has to develop its own plot.
After my first viewing, I think I understood perfectly why this was, considering that the film by Sam Esmail (who many of us will remember for the acclaimed Mr. Robot series) revels in being disconcerting, a characteristic that unfortunately does not play in favor of the final result.
Starring Ethan Hawke, Julia Roberts and Mahershala Ali, "Leave the world Behind" could be defined as an apocalyptic story, where little by little we see the consequences of an invisible threat.
Recently we have received a wave of similar stories that, as in the case of Don't Look up, are responsible for approaching the concept of the end of the world from a cynical and mocking angle, something that contrasts with the more brutal and direct approaches that we saw in early 2000s cinema like the technically brilliant "2012."
However, unlike the brilliant satire contained in Don't Look Up that made us reflect on our own reality by blurring the lines between satire and drama, Leave the World Behind falls halfway as a visually substantial, but unable to convey their messages organically.
I must confess that Sam Esmail's writing style had already shocked me a little since the days of Mr. Robot, not because it was objectively bad, but because he was focused on attacking the advancement of technology and our dependence on it from a point of view. extremely pretentious view, ignoring that at the end of the day they are wonderful tools that (in the right hands) allow us to achieve things that we previously considered unattainable.
In this case, not only are these ideas repeated with the same lack of subtlety, but also an entire environmental message is added that necessarily fits during the eternal two and a half hours of the footage.
Although I don't hate the idea of a progressive film (In fact it seems quite silly to me to rule it out because of this), I would have preferred if these same ideas had been presented in a less pretentious story, with characters who act with more rationality regardless of whether we (the viewers) do not understand what is happening.
Still, it's a visually appealing film with a couple of genuinely entertaining moments.
Score taken from my Letterboxd Account.
Todas las capturas de pantalla en este post fueron tomadas directamente desde la película por mi.
ESPAÑOL
Había postergado bastante mi primer visionado de "Leave the world behind" por una sencilla razón: no me gusta cuando la conversación alrededor de una película se distancia de la calidad de la misma.
Durante semanas era inevitable leer cientos de teorías conspirativas, que, si bien ayudaron a atraer a las masas hacia este filme, también ignoraban aquellos aspectos que generalmente nos hacen disfrutar (o no) una obra específica: la calidad de su guión, su dirección, musica, fotografía, los performances de los actores principales y secundario y la capacidad que tiene para desarrollar su propia trama.
Luego de mi primer visionado creo que entendí a la perfección a que se debía esto, considerando que el filme de Sam Esmail (A quien muchos recordaremos por la aclamada serie de Mr.Robot) se regodea en ser desconcertante, una característica que lastimosamente no juega a favor del resultado final.
Protagonizada por Ethan Hawke, Julia Roberts y Mahershala Ali, "Leave the world Behind" podría definirse como una historia apocalíptica, en donde poco a poco vemos las consecuencias de una amenaza invisible.
Recientemente hemos recibido una oleada de historias similares que, como en el caso de Don't Look up, se encargan de abordar el concepto del fin del mundo desde un ángulo cínico y burlón, algo que contrasta con los acercamientos más brutos y directos que veíamos en el cine de principios del 2000 como la brillante técnicamente "2012".
No obstante, a diferencia de la brillante sátira contenida en Don't Look Up que nos hacía reflexionar sobre nuestra propia realidad difuminado las líneas entre la sátira y el dramatismo, Leave the world behind se queda a medio camino como un filme visualmente sustancioso, pero incapaz de transmitir sus mensajes de forma orgánica.
Debo confesar que el estilo de escritura de Sam Esmail ya me chocaba un poco desde los tiempos de Mr.Robot, no porque fuese objetivamente malo, sino porque se encontraba enfocado en atacar el avance de la tecnología y nuestra dependencia hacia ella desde un punto de vista extremadamente pretencioso, ignorando que al final del día son herramientas maravillosas que (en las manos correctas) nos permiten lograr cosas que antes considerabamos inalcanzables.
En este caso, no solo se encuentran repetidas estas ideas con la misma ausencia de sutileza, sino que aparte se le suma todo un mensaje ambiental que calza forzosamente durante las eternas dos horas y media del metraje.
Si bien no detesto la idea de una película progresista (De hecho me parece bastante tonto descartarla por esto), hubiese preferido que estás mismas ideas se hubiesen presentado en una historia menos pretenciosa, con personajes que actúan con más racionalidad independientemente de que nosotros (los espectadores) no entendamos lo que está sucediendo.
Aún así es una película visualmente atractiva con un par de momentos genuinamente entretenidos.
Puntaje sacado de mi cuenta de Letterboxd.
Twitter/Instagram/Letterbox: Alxxssss
Too many things about this movie just didn't make any sense. Like where did all the people go? Also, I didn't think Julia Roberts' performance was very good in this movie. That might come down to the oddly forced feeling racial tension.
I enjoyed Mr. Robot but thought Don't Look Up was just dumb...a heavy handed parody that just wasn't funny.
I agree, it's a really messy movie trying many things.
I've been seeing a lot of good things about this film, and it all came out of nowhere. Kinda interesting when this happens, not sure whether I should check it out or not
Hola, recién vi ésta película y no me gustó, comenzó bien, con un aparente aire de suspenso, pero se fue extendiendo, se hizo confuso y no parecía llegar a ningún lado, el final, tétrico. En líneas generales, no me gustó y no la recomiendo. Saludos.
I loved it! Not only the performances, but the script. Dialogues at first glance simple, but implying almost a philosophy behind. Politics, society, technology.... perfect ingredients to create an excellent film.
The best part? You can imagine any reason why the world "ends". That open ending? Leaves you wondering