Clever reason subtitles don’t show in Leave the World Behind scene
Warning: Spoilers ahead
This week, it feels like you can't move without hearing another theory about buzzy new Netflix film, Leave the World Behind.
Well, one more is making the rounds on TikTok - and it's actually quite clever.
But first, a refresher on the film. It follows follows married couple, Amanda (Julia Roberts) and Clay (Ethan Hawke) as they leave their New York home for a family break with their children in a small town on Long Island.
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Things take a turn for the bizarre when a large oil tanker crashes onto the beach where the family are enjoying their holiday. Hundreds of deer then appear around their rental house, before two strangers, a father and daughter, appear at their door one night.
The pair (played by Mahershala Ali and Myha’la Herrold) are the homeowners renting out their house to the family, and are seeking shelter after weird happenings in the city.
When the internet and TV signal go down, the families grow more concerned as they find themselves lost without the help of technology.
Clay drives into town in search of answers but, with no GPS to guide him, he gets lost and encounters a woman on the roadside shouting for help.
Stopping the car, Clay tries to talk to the woman, but discovers that she speaks Spanish while he only speaks English.
With the language barrier stopping either of them from communicating with one another, Clay gives up and drives away – leaving the woman behind.
During the exchange, there are no Spanish subtitles, so unless you speak the language, you're in the dark as to what the woman was trying to tell Clay.
But one TikToker has a theory for this.
They explained: “In the scene where the lady is speaking Spanish to Clay, they purposely didn't put subtitles to symbolize that we'd be lost without technology.”
Interestingly, if you watch the movie in Spanish with Spanish subtitles, you see the entire conversation - which seems like a pointed critique at English speakers.
In the scene, according to one translation, she actually says: “Thank God I found someone. I’m trying to get back to my home! I’m lost! I’ve been walking for a while! I need to use your phone! You’re the first person I’ve seen all day! We have to get out of here!
“I just saw a plane that was spraying red gas in the vicinity. I saw some deer, more than 50. They were coming out of the woods. Please! I need to go home, sir. A military plane appeared and fled. There’s no one around! Is it a chemical attack?”
If you’ve seen the film, you’ll know that everything she warns about is waiting for Clay and his family as he drives away from her.
And safe to say, the controversial ending has been dividing opinion ever since the film came out.