A nightmare Airbnb vacation at a remote location? We’ve all been there, and it is not a pleasant experience. We now get to watch from the comfort and safety of our homes as Oscar-winning stars Julia Roberts and Mahershala Ali are put through the wringer when the world comes apart around them.
“Leave The Word Behind” is adapted from Rumaan Alam’s psychological thriller novel of the same name, released in 2020. Netflix won the rights in a bidding war before the book was even published, as the package came with Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington attached and “Mr. Robot” creator Sam Esmail as writer-director. Roberts was also set to produce the film.
Ali signed on to co-star after Washington had to exit the project. While it would have been a thrill to see Roberts and Washington together on screen again, 30 years after “The Pelican Brief,” Ali is an equally good match, and it is always a thrill to see stars of this caliber perform together. Besides Roberts & Ali, the film also stars Ethan Hawke, Myha’la Herrold, Farrah Mackenzie, Charlie Evans, and Kevin Bacon.
Here’s the synopsis:
In this apocalyptic thriller, Amanda (Julia Roberts) and her husband Clay (Ethan Hawke), rent a luxurious home for the weekend with their kids, Archie (Charlie Evans) and Rose (Farrah Mackenzie). Their vacation is soon upended when two strangers — G.H. (Mahershala Ali) and his daughter Ruth (Myha’la) — arrive in the night, bearing news of a mysterious cyberattack and seeking refuge in the house they claim is theirs. The two families reckon with a looming disaster that grows more terrifying by the minute, forcing everyone to come to terms with their places in a collapsing world.
“Leave the World Behind” will have its world premiere on October 25, 2023, as the opening night film of the AFI Fest, running October 25-29. The film will be in select theaters on November 22 and world premieres on Netflix on December 8. You can watch the trailer below.
