And Computer blackout He shook Europe on April 29. The situation caused massive Wi-Fi failures, traffic lights without working and a sensation of generalized bewilderment.
Before the bewilderment, the movie Put the world behind (2023) resurfaced in the public conversation, not as fiction, but as a disturbing warning.
Production, directed by Sam Esmailraises the collapse of modern society through progressive digital disconnection, which has left some people with the feeling of being prophecy.
Released in Netflix in December 2023 and based on the novel of Roman Alam, The film portrays the beginning of a global crisis through a series of technological failures: without internet, without telephony, without information.
The plot revolves around Amanda (Julia Roberts) y Clay (Ethan Hawke), A middle -class couple who rent a luxury house on Long Island with their children to disconnect.
But tranquility breaks when true owners, GH (Maharshala ali) and his daughter Ruth (Myha’la Herrold), they return with alarming news: A mass blackout It has affected the east coast of the United States.
What follows is a tense, silent and realistic story about uncertainty, distrust and fragility of modern society.
The feature film moves away from the show to show a more plausible threat: lto disconnection as a trigger of chaos.
It should be noted that Put the world behind It was a resounding success in Netflixaccumulating more than 143 million visualizations and becoming the seventh film more seen in the history of the platform.
Sam Esmailalso creator of Mr. Robothe acknowledged in an interview with Netflix Tudum that had been wanting to address a catastrophe based on a cyber attack.
“I don’t think many people have a clear idea of how harmful it would be really, not only in the United States, but globally.” He said.
For him, the most interesting thing was to explore how technology has transformed our social relationships and structures.
“The impact of Technology In society it is something that has always fascinated me because I really believe that drastically changed the way we interact And we evolve as people, ”he said.
For its part Julia Roberts reflected on the central themes of the film in an interview with The Time.
“One of the main things that made me reflect is in Why do we insist on thinking that we can evaluate, judge or assume the truth of a person From distance, without really knowing her, ”he said.
Part of the impact generated by the film is due to its production: Barack y Michelle Obama They appear as executive producers through their company Higher Ground.
The former president influenced the script by contributing ideas on how to transmit distrust and emotional disconnection between the characters.
“As the president Obama is a great cynphylthe book was on his reading list, he is one of his favorites, and really wanted to reflect it faithfully, with this theme of distrust and as A warning about what could happen if we do not have that community”Said the filmmaker.
However, the disturbing film is not the magnitude of the disaster, but its slow and plausible development. There are no concrete explosions or antagonists, only a gradual disconnection that erodes everyday life.
In that sense, the blackout that affected Europe last week – although brief and not apocalyptic – serves as a reminder that we are more vulnerable than we think.
Put the world behind It does not try to predict the future. His power lies in forcing us to look at the present with less naivety and be prepared for a situation like this.
