When Leave the World Behind, written by novelist Rumaan Alam, was published during the fall of 2020, it immediately became a bestseller, not only for its suspenseful prose, but also for its uncanny ability to predict the future. The novel, which was a finalist for a National Book Award, is now adapted for the screen by acclaimed writer and director Sam Esmail (Mr. Robot) as an apocalyptic thriller that brings a whole new meaning to the phrase “unprecedented times.” 

Academy Award winner Julia Roberts, who also produces the film, and Academy Award nominee Ethan Hawke star as Amanda and Clay, a New York City couple who find themselves caught up in the anxieties of twenty-first-century life. On an impulse, Amanda books a last-minute weekend trip to a quaint Long Island hamlet for her husband and two kids to disconnect and finally unplug from the stressors of social media and work. 

Yet their relaxing getaway becomes anything but quiet after two strangers knock on the front door of their rental asking for help — a man named G.H. (Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali) and his daughter Ruth (Industry breakout and Black Mirror star Myha’la).
The pair, who claim to own the vacation home, arrive with news that a bizarre cyberattack has resulted in blackouts all over the city, causing Amanda and Clay to question everything. As they lose connection with the outside world and struggle to make sense of their collapsing society, the two families are increasingly forced to rely on each other.

Executive-produced by Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions and filled with irresistible performances from its star-studded ensemble, Leave the World Behind illuminates the sheer terror of a society upended by the unexpected.