The Biggest Differences Between the Leave the World Behind Book and Movie

Leave the world behind is a story that will tear your nerves this winter. Rumaan Alam’s 2020 novel follows two families who are forced together when a sudden emergency hits them. Clay and Amanda rent a vacation home on Long Island with their teenagers, Archie and Rose.

One evening early in their journey, the owners of the house, GH and Ruth, show up with news of a sudden power outage in New York and ask them to stay in the house, where they feel it will be safer. Two couples are put to the ultimate test of truth in the face of an unknown, ever-growing crisis. The film adaptation of the novel, now streaming on Netflix, starring Ethan Hawke as Clay, Julia Roberts as Amanda, Mahershala Ali as GH and Myha’la Herrold as Ruth, is subtly thrilling, just like its original source material. “It raised an interesting idea that in a moment of crisis, how easily we can forget our common humanity,” director Sam Esmail told PEOPLE. “At the time it was very relevant because it was during the pandemic. But it’s just as relevant today with everything that’s going on in the world. I think that was very important for us.” The film, however, includes some changes from the book. Read on to see how the novel and the Netflix movie differ. Warning: Spoilers for Leave the world behind

The boat almost crashes on the beach that Clay and Amanda are visiting

JoJo Whilden/NETFLIX

In an early movie scene, Clay and Amanda’s family are spending time on the beach when a large oil tanker called White Lion suddenly rushing towards them from the water. It stops just before it hits someone. After the beach is evacuated, Clay asks the officer what happened. The officers reply that there have been similar groundings due to problems with the ship’s navigation systems. The novel takes place much more quietly, with Clay and Amanda’s family enjoying a peaceful beach trip, and the bigger hints of disaster come later.

Ruth is GH’s daughter instead of his wife

Courtesy of NETFLIX

When the couple first arrive at the house in the film, Ruth says that she is GH’s daughter. He later tells Amanda that he is still figuring out what he wants to do with his professional life. Ruth’s mother is Maya, who is an art dealer and is currently on a business trip to Morocco. He fears that Maya is dead throughout the film. In the novel, Ruth is GH’s wife. The couple has a daughter, Maya, who is a teacher at a Montessori school, and lives with her husband and two sons. Ruth spends much of the book worrying about her daughter and her family, and what is happening to them.

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GH discovers a plane crash on the beach

Courtesy of NETFLIX

The film takes the characters facing the growing national crisis much closer. In an additional scene, GH stumbles upon a shocking scene near a neighbor’s house and a nearby beach. The brutal remains of the plane crash and its victims are scattered on the sand.

GH narrowly avoids being hit by another plane falling from the sky. He relays what he discovered to Amanda and says that everything going on out there is much bigger than he originally thought.

Clay and Amanda try to leave the house much earlier

Courtesy of NETFLIX

In the movie, Amanda and Clay try to leave the vacation home to stay with Amanda’s sister in New Jersey. When they reach the freeway, the family car gets stuck behind a pile of crashed Teslas. Self-driving cars have walked away from their dealership, possibly due to problems with their navigation systems. The family narrowly avoids being hit by more cars before returning to the house. In the novel, while Clay goes into town to find out what’s going on, both families mostly stay in the house. They don’t try to leave completely until Archie gets sick.

GH and Clay’s interaction with Danny is more intense

JoJo Whilden/NETFLIX

Near the end of the movie, GH and Clay leave the house to find a hospital for Archie (Charlie Evans), who has suddenly started vomiting and losing his teeth. GH suggests going to her entrepreneur Danny (Kevin Bacon) for help. While the scene plays out somewhat similarly to the book, with Danny showing concern about who is behind the crisis, one big difference occurs when their argument escalates. Danny pulls out his gun when GH and Clay don’t want to leave. GH also pulls out a gun, and Clay makes an impassioned plea for Danny to help them before Danny relents. There is also a new scene with Ruth and Amanda. As the two search the woods for Rose (Farrah Mackenzie), they have a heart-to-heart talk about their fears in an abandoned shed. Outside, a stampede of deer runs around, and the two find themselves surrounded by hundreds of animals. While Ruth and Amanda are arguing during the film, they team up to scare off the deer by screaming and waving their arms.

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Friends is an important thread throughout the film

JoJo Whilden/NETFLIX

A new thread in the film revolves around Rose, who is watching Friends on your tablet during your vacation. When the internet connection goes out before she finishes the last episode, she is distraught. In a later conversation with Archie, Rose reveals that the series is so important to her because the characters make her happy and give her a sense of hope.

After it is revealed that New York, and later other major cities, are under attack, Rose flees and finds shelter in a nearby abandoned house. He finds a waste bunker in the basement, stocked with food, supplies and a large collection of DVDs, including the latest season Friends. He starts watching the last episode just as the movie ends.

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Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education