Netflix movie “Leave the World Behind”

Winston Smith - December 12, 2023

Does anyone have comments about the movie “Leave the World Behind”?  I liked it, but…..

It will make many people think about how our lives can change in the blink of an eye.

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I haven’t watched it. Reviews on that movie are generally negative – something about the ending just trailing off with no resolution. What did you find interesting about that movie? Learn anything from a preparedness standpoint?

The movies/shows I’ve found most interesting from a preparedness perspective are Walking Dead (TV) (early seasons only), Contagion (movie), and Fire in Paradise (documentary).

 

I found it to be very suspenseful, like a horror movie up until the very end.  I thought that it did point out how dependent the general population is on technology.  Even more, it showed the paralysis that many people experience when there is a breakdown in technology.  Only one character appeared to be prepared and he wasn’t presented in the best light.  

From a preparedness standpoint; if there is a complete breakdown in communication from a cyberattack, then when do you make a move?  I think that disturbed me more than anything.  These folks were out in the sticks, but if you are in a populated area you would think that there would be some information available.  Would it be reliable?  It sort of brought home that the “fog of war” is real, even for civilians.

Just a few things, hopefully food for thought.  I guess I need to hit up the posts on communication options.

 

“I guess I need to hit up the posts on communication options.”

Here are my picks for emergency communications.

1) Smart phone

These things are amazing as long as you have cell service. Make sure to install emergency alert apps and sign up for your county’s alert system. WatchDuty is especially good for wildfire alerts in Western USA.

2) Weather radio

These will deliver a variety of government alerts, mostly for weather emergencies, and will still work when cell service goes down. Make sure whichever radio you choose includes the “SAME” feature so that you only get alerts for your own county rather than the whole state. Here’s the particular radio that I use and have been happy with.

Midland WR400 SAME weather radio

3) Ham radio

This allows two-way communication when cell service is lost but requires more time commitment than the other options. You’ll need to give up a few weekends to study for passing the technician license class. An inexpensive Baofeng UV-5R is more than adequate and is a good piece of go bag equipment. Make sure to write down the frequencies used for emergency communication in your area, spend some time practicing with your radio, and get to know local ham operators that you’ll be able to communicate with during an emergency.

 

I watched it. While it had negative reviews and also has some interesting conspiracies surrounding it, but it was generally just an average movie. It does present a new type of collapse concern though that I hadn’t thought about. Being in an Airbnb (or other rented home) when an emergency occurs. I never thought of that before so that’s a fun new angle. All the main characters were clueless for an emergency so it depicts what “average” people would respond like. There’s no learnings from the movie outside of learning from other’s mistakes. Some of those learnings would be things like:

1. Bring some supplies on vacations – They had no cash, local maps, self defense items

2. Not following rules during an emergency – They stayed on the road dodging cars during that Tesla scene when they easily could’ve just strolled by in the grass just off the road

3. Issues with normalcy bias – they barely thought it was strange when the tanker beached “Oh look a Starbucks!” immediately afterwards. Along with trying to act like everything was normal after the deer, sirens, and many other issues barely phasing them at first. And then of course that yearning for normal that the daughter had with Friends which closed the movie out. 

Not a terrible movie, but not great either.