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Spoilers ahead forLeave the World Behind.
Sam Esmails work has an authorial signature the size of John Hancocks.
From the dystopian science fiction thrillerMr.
Characters speak directly to the audience and sometimes seem to look straight into the lens.
Based on Rumaan Alams acclaimed 2020 novel,Leave the World Behindis restrained for an Esmail joint.
On their first night there, two strangers arrive at the door: G.H.
Tell me about the book.
Remember when we were wiping Amazon boxes and holding our breath when we walked by someone on the street?
I got this book, andat the timeI had been wondering what to do next becauseMr.
The disaster elements tend to be the center of the story in disaster films.
The characters tend to be secondary.
That instantly felt more authentic to how humans would experience a crisis like that.
The disaster film, the pandemic film, and the zombie film are all kind of the same story.
So I guess it makes sense that one part of your movie where Amanda and G.H.
But here, the monster is unknown.
Then youre waiting for the story where the characters are going to somehow interrupt this process and overcome it.
Here, were never told exactly what the threat is.
The idea is its thenot knowingthats keeping everyone on edge, up until the ending.
And often they dont get the answers they want.
Its just like in life.
Were going to have to face ambiguity and kind of live with it.
The ending has toleaveyou with that sense of paranoia.
It has to provoke that sense of you not knowing the answers and what did I just witness?
Am I unsafe now?
I need a minute after I finish that film.
You gave the audience more at the end of the movie than the novel.I did.
Its more expected that its going to be open to interpretation.
Whereas in a film, audiences need a little bit more hand-holding when it comes to some answers.
It is meant to provoke conversation; it is not meant to tie everything up.
I dont think the film does that.
Its obvious some bang out of war is occurring, but we dont know exactly what that is.
Am I right?Yes.
I think that channeled the right sort of questions and provocations that I wanted to put in the movie.
In the film, G.H.
Thats not in the book.
about how a crisis leads to infighting and mistrust.
It ultimately becomes a cautionary tale.
What does that mean for people?
Arent you playing with dynamite putting stuff like this in there?
This happened to me withMr.
Robot, where wed film a story line and then weeks later it would happen in real life!
I dont have an answer to that.
We could talk about politics on a separate occasion.
Its really about the human side of it.
What happens when we are giving into our worst instincts about race, class, xenophobia?
What is that part of humanity that makes us triggered and starts to divide us?
Thats what I wanted to explore.
Im never afraid of using real-life fears and anxieties.
Which is the location of a similar event onMr.
Does this mean this movie is part of theMr.
Robotexpanded universe?I hate using that phrase!
I wanted to talk about the style of the film.
I had the same crew same cinematographer, same production designer, composer, sound-design team.
But in contrast withMr.
Now lets use all of that to come together and tell this story in its essential form.
What does the movie want to be?
Even when youre doing extreme things, it feels like its thematically correct.
Like the way the camera moves through architecture: It feels like a demonic presence is invading the space.
Like inThe Shining.That was a huge influence.
I love big camera moves, especially when its relaying something the audience doesnt know.
Am I the one seeing it?
You call it demonic, but its withinyou.
Some would also say its a dark comedy.
You really cant know.
I love being untethered to any expectation you might have of whats going to happen next.
Thats the combination youre always looking for.
An undefinable tone helps with that.
You do a thing repeatedly in this movie, and you also did it a lot inMr.
Why do you like to do those types of scenes?Have you ever watched the documentaryVisions of Light?
Which part of it?The part with cinematographer William A. Fraker, about shootingRosemarys Baby.
You want to see her face.
You want to know what shes saying.
When you’re free to get an audience to physically react in that way thats why I loveoners.
When you could get an audience physically engaged like that, its the best feeling.
Its so crucial for suspense too.
Its like pulling a rubber band.
You just keep pulling it and pulling it and theres that sensation that it will never snap.
But it feels facile to me, almost superficial.
Youre giving them a joyride.
Its less of a roller coaster and more of a grounded character journey.
Denzel Washington was originally going to play G.H., but it ended up being Mahershala Ali.
Whats the story?We had some scheduling conflicts and we had to move on.
But Mahershala was great because I always pictured G.H.
as a Hitchcockian archetype.
The prototype was Cary Grant or Jimmy Stewart in Hitchcocks films.
Theyre not five steps ahead, like a superhero, but theyrehalfa step ahead.
Theyre savvy enough to size up any situation.
He is so magnetic and charming but deeply grounded and genuine.
Shes doing different work for you than I think shes done for other people.
The Julia I know wants to challenge herself and mix things up.
Shes a bit of a Karen in this.Only somebody like Julia can channel the humanity of a Karen.
And you really need that, otherwise the movie wouldnt work.
What better performer to do that than the worlds biggest movie star?
Typically in a disaster film, the patriarch is the hero.
Hes the one who knows how to pull it all together, and Clay is the opposite of that.
Thats something Ethan was able to do in a vulnerable way.
Hes a very philosophically minded guy.
Did he have any thoughts on this story?Oh yeah, we spoke about it a lot.
I remember asking him, What is the tone of this movie?
I cant think of another film like it.
He thought about it for a while.
He came back the next day and said, Have you ever seen the filmFearless?
I love that film.
I thought there was something about that film tonally that I connected with for this film.
It had these big, epic sequences.
Theres a plane crash!
But really, it was just so human.
Do you think Clay slept with his students?No.
I dont think hes That Guy, as Ruth would say.
He likes the attention, but I dont think he crosses the line.
What caused Archies teeth to fall out?I want to be careful how I answer this.
I think its a nightmare.
Ive had nightmares about losing my teeth.I have too.
WhyFriends?Its such an iconic show globally, not just here in the United States.
Theres a line that Ruth says to Amanda.
Shes talking aboutFriendsand describes it as nostalgic for a time that never existed.
All of that felt right for Roses journey.
In a way, thesewereher real friends.
AndI had to give her a happy ending.
Paranoid thrillers are so brutal with their endings!
I had to give some small sense of hope to Rose.
And let me tell you, friend thatwasin the forefront of my mind!
Its gonna have to be physical media.
