Leave The World Behind Trailer Throws Julia Roberts & Mahershala Ali Into An Apocalypse

By the end of the «Leave the World Behind» trailer, the actual scope of the events is not entirely clear. Nor is much else for that matter, with Sam Esmail and company carving out that rarest of modern trailers that teases an in-depth look at what’s to come, but doesn’t give even the faintest of winks at its actual endgame. 

The film was adapted by Esmail from Rumaan Alam’s 2020 novel of the same name. As that novel was both a National Book Award finalist and a fixture on many Best of 2020 lists, there are obviously quite a few folks out there who know all the burning secrets at the cryptic heart of «Leave the World Behind.» Even as the cinematic adaptation alludes to the sort of grand-scale isolationist territory explored in numerous big-budget films (M. Night Shyamalan’s «Signs» and «The Happening» come to mind), there’s clearly a lot more going on underneath the surface here.

«Leave the World Behind» bolsters that already front-loaded setup by building racial tension into the mix, as well as heavy doses of societal and technophobic paranoia, as each family makes moves to protect their own from whatever’s happening, and possibly even each other. With a high-minded stylist like Esmail guiding the drama, «Leave the World Behind» looks to be a slow-burning treat with plenty more on its mind than shocking twists and spectacle.