Summary

The calm and peaceful paintings in the vacation home contribute to the initial sense of tranquility and relaxation for the characters. As the tension and chaos rise, the paintings shift, becoming more chaotic and unsettling, reflecting the growing unease in the film. The final change in the paintings signifies the arrival of the apocalypse and the complete loss of control for the characters, foreshadowing the need to take shelter and “leave the world behind.”

Warning: Spoilers for Leave the World Behind.Leave the World Behind might seem like a straightforward doomsday film that details the inception of an impending apocalypse, but plenty of hidden meanings are littered throughout the movie, with conspiracy theorists obsessing over them. One Easter Egg, in particular, is easy to overlook despite its large size. At the Long Island vacation home Amanda (Julia Roberts) rents with her husband Clay (Ethan Hawke) and their two children, Archie (Charlie Evans) and Rose (Farrah Mackenzie), there hangs a large painting in the living room as well as in the primary bedroom. The significance of the aforementioned paintings directly relates to the trajectory of the film.

When Amanda and Clay answer an unexpected knock at the door in the middle of the night, they are greeted by the homeowner, G.H. (Mahershala Ali), and his daughter, Ruth (Myha’la). Bringing news of a blackout, tensions rise as they suggest staying at the house until the situation blows over. Although hesitant, Amanda agrees to let them stay but promises to deal with the issue in the morning. Unbeknownst to both families, nothing will be the same for them going forward. While the angst of the film becomes more and more palpable as events unfold, the imagery of both paintings likely contributes to the tension without the full awareness of the audience.

Initial Calm of the Paintings in Leave the World Behind

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When Amanda and her family initially arrive at the vacation home, everyone is filled with a sense of calm and bliss. As they look forward to a relaxing vacation away from the hustle and bustle of the big city, the images in the background evoke a peaceful tone. The painting in the living room features large patches of black and white, which seem cohesive. While clearly a modern piece of artwork, there remains a soothing calm that’s easy to see past when initially watching the film.

The painting in the bedroom resembles an ocean of waves with a lot of sky visible. It’s a calming picture, but the tones display an overarching ominous feeling that almost seems to hint at something more sinister lurking around the corner. It’s not a bright and sunny ocean picture. Instead, it’s gloomy and indicates a storm might be brewing beyond what the viewer can see. However, because the horizon line of the painting is close to the bed’s headboard, the room feels orderly, and there’s a sense of calm, at least for the moment.

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A Shift in Chaos of the Paintings in Leave the World Behind

After G.H. and Ruth arrive at the home, and Amanda catches a glimpse of her phone’s notifications about the cyberattack, both paintings shift for the first time. The living room painting, which used to have more patches of black, is now covered with more white spots. As such, it begins to feel more chaotic as the tension and confusion between the characters in Leave the World Behind sets in. In the way, a horror movie utilizes high-pitched scores to create a sense of unease among its audience, Leave the World Behind accomplishes that same emotion with the living room painting.

The bedroom painting also becomes more unsettling as the waves in the picture become rougher and take over more of the canvas. The horizon line rises, which means the sky is disappearing, and the impending storm is creating bigger waves. More chaos is creeping in, and no one has any real ability to stop it. They’re essentially on an abandoned ship lost at sea during a torrential storm with no end in sight.

As the animals outside, specifically the deer, act more and more ominously, and the mysterious deafening noise continues to pierce their ears without warning, the paintings represent such disarray. The uncertainty of the cause of the cyberattacks and the bizarre pamphlets Clay discovered while trying to drive into town is just the tip of the iceberg. The initial change in the paintings represents that chaotic tip.

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Complete Loss of Control in the Paintings

The final change in both paintings occurs after something strange happens to Archie, and his teeth fall out near the end of the film. As Archie wakes up in the bedroom with his parents, the waves in the painting have completely taken over the entire canvas. The horizon is nowhere to be seen. Although the characters were scared before, their fear begins to take over. The stormy waves in the painting indicate the arrival of the apocalypse outside, which means the characters can no longer simply wait it out and do nothing.

Furthermore, the living room painting now possesses no structure when compared to its original form. Its patches of black and white feel scattered across the canvas, much like the collapse of society and the complete loss of control any of the characters might have had before. The end has arrived, and both paintings embody that reality. While the audience doesn’t know it for sure just yet, once G.H. reveals what he knows about the apparent coup, it’s all but certain the only thing they can do is take shelter in the bunker Rose discovered and leave the world behind.

Leave the World Behind is currently streaming on Netflix.

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