The hit Netflix movie Leave the World Behind ended on an ambiguous note as we saw the main characters witnessing the disaster unfold in front of their eyes without any solution or signs of normalcy while Rose watched the final episode of Friends in a neighbor's bunker.
The ending was considered to be polarizing amongst the audience since it didn't offer any sense of closure or assurance that the characters were going to be safe, unlike most disaster films where they always end the story optimistically.
Now, the director of the new film has addressed the divisive ending and why they decided to forgo the typical disaster movie ending.
ALSO READ: What Is Happening to the Flamingos in Leave the World Behind?
Sam Esmail Addresses the Divisive Ending of Leave the World Behind
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Leave the World Behind director Sam Esmail addressed the film's divisive ending and explained why he decided to wrap the story ambiguously.
He shared that it was always his intention to end the film in that way, and he knew beforehand that it was going to be divisive amongst the audience.
"We knew going into this that the ending was going to be polarizing, but we did not want to pull punches on it. I think in a traditional disaster film, a genre that I’m a huge fan of, so no knock on disaster films," he said.
"I mean, Day after Tomorrow is one of my favorite movies — but the expectation is at the end of these films, your cast of characters overcomes the disaster and the world reverts back to some sane semblance of normalcy. I knew that I wasn’t going to do that."
Esmail also believed that the film's ambiguous ending would provoke some conversation amongst the audience after watching it.
He added, "As a film lover, I’m excited when I leave a movie wanting to spend hours talking about it. And when you end a film with sort of a pat answer, where the heroes do overcome something, those tend to be the movies where they kind of come and go.
"So we knew making this film that we wanted to go in this provocative way, and we assumed the risk that it would divide people — and hopefully in a good way, because that provokes conversation."
The director was right with his assumption as the ending did provoke a lot of conversations amongst the viewers since the film's release weeks ago. There has even been a debate about whether it was satisfying enough or not.
However, the film is also not necessarily focused on the disaster itself as it is more about its impact on a group of dysfunctional people and the danger of technology, which led to the events.
In the end, regardless of whether the ending was divisive or not, it became a major hit on Netflix as it remained on the charts even though it's been two weeks since its release.
Leave the World Behind is available to stream on Netflix.
READ NEXT: Leave the World Behind vs White Noise: Fans Spot Similarities
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!