Director Sam Esmail’s work has often explored the alienation people feel from one another, not in small part due to rapid technological advancements. This is an apparent theme of his acclaimed TV series Mr. Robot and it carries into Esmail’s latest project — Leave The World Behind for Netflix. The feature length film is an adaptation of the 2020 Rumaan Alam novel of the same name and stars Julia Roberts and Mahershala Ali.
Esmail tells The Treatment about the “spiritual” connection he has with Alam, their shared sensibility around themes, and a shared approach to creating dramatic tension. He talks about reuniting with Roberts after working together on the 2018 Prime Video series Homecoming and her desire to challenge herself as an actress. Plus, he hints at the slightly darker direction he might have taken with Roberts’ classic 1997 rom-com My Best Friend’s Wedding.
