Film Review

Leave the World Behind (2023) • Netflix — people come first in a powerful apocalyptic thriller

A family’s getaway takes an ominous turn when an apparent cyberattack knocks out their devices, and two strangers appear at their door…

Cinephiles disillusioned by Netflix’s recent focus on quantity over quality will find at least some renewed faith in the streamer with the release of Leave the World Behind, a thought-provoking, gripping apocalyptic drama with an exceptional cast.

This impressive second feature by writer-director Sam Esmail (Mr. Robot), closely based on Rumaan Alam’s 2020 novel, opens with advertising executive Amanda (Julia Roberts) awakening her professor husband, Clay (Ethan Hawke), in their New York apartment. She’s suddenly had enough of the city and all its inhabitants, prompting her to arrange a short vacation for them and their two teenage children near the coast, not far from the Big Apple in miles but light years away in terms of stress levels. And their break commences that day; a harbinger that Amanda might be much closer to the…