Barack and Michelle Obama have collaborated on their inaugural fictional film, “Leave The World Behind,” now available on Netflix.
The movie, directed by Sam Esmail and featuring a star-studded cast including Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Kevin Bacon, and Ethan Hawke, marks the first venture into fiction by the Obamas through their Higher Ground Productions, as part of their multi-year partnership with Netflix.
The Next American Civil War is Coming
Listen to “The Next American Civil War is Coming” on Spreaker.
The film depicts a family’s retreat to a lavish rental home disrupted by a cyberattack that cripples the nation’s power grid, leaving them isolated and vulnerable when two strangers unexpectedly appear at their door, as described by Netflix.
According to Esmail, Obama expressed his belief that the script closely mirrored a potential crisis in the contemporary world, emphasizing the importance of proactive measures rather than waiting for a catastrophe. Esmail conveyed Obama’s perspective, stating, “I think [Obama] would say the same thing.
Again, a trope of the disaster genre is that you’re set up with a few characters who are divided, and then they come together and defeat or overcome or get through what’s occurring. But that is just not true to real life.
So the work begins now. It’s not really a message film, it’s more of a reflection on where we’re at as a society. But if there is a message, it’s a warning.”
So much for you “Mama Bears” out there protecting your cubs
A specific scene in the film attracted attention due to characters expressing criticism directed at white individuals in the context of societal collapse.
One character advises her partner, “I’m asking for you to remember that if the world falls apart, trust should not be doled out easily to anyone, especially White people.”
Esmail explained that most of Obama’s notes focused on human nature and character development. “He had a lot of notes about the characters and the empathy we would have for them,” Esmail mentioned. “I have to say he is a big movie lover, and he wasn’t just giving notes about things that were from his background. He was giving notes as a fan of the book, and he wanted to see a really good film.”
The film is an adaptation of the novel by Ruman Alam with Obama’s insights helping Esmail to ground the narrative in a manner that reflects a more plausible unfolding of events.
Esmail acknowledged, “I am writing what I think is fiction, for the most part, I’m trying to keep it as true to life as possible, but I’m exaggerating and dramatizing. And to hear an ex-president say you’re off by a few details…I thought I was off by a lot! The fact that he said that scared the f*** out of me.”
