SPOILER ALERT: This article discusses details of the movie ‘Leave the World Behind’, currently on Netflix. Some spoilers will be unavoidable.
Leave the World Behind was one of the most provocative movies of 2023, representing an all too modern apocalyptic scenario about the fall of the United States. A family rents a holiday house for a weekend to escape their hectic city life, when the homeowner and his daughter unexpectedly arrive late at night, bringing news of a widespread blackout in the area. A cyberattack has crippled the country, and amidst the confusion and building unease, society begins to unravel.
The movie is based on Rumaan Alam’s 2020 novel and provides the starting point of my reflection for this article. In terms of projecting power in International Relations, countries have traditionally favoured investment in complex military weapons and capabilities. Yet the potential theatres of State contest are no longer simply land, sea and air.
Rather, the dynamics of conflict and tension are shifting to other dimensions. In a world where national threats are becoming technological, digital, social, and even individual, Australia should consider whether traditional defence systems are enough to preserve its socio-political resilience and stability. Is the novel Leave the World Behind gradually becoming our reality?
