The current Netflix hit ‘Leave The World Behind’ is only the second feature film directed by director Sam Esmail, after the unusual indie romance ‘Comet’ from 2014. But in the nine years in between he has certainly not been idle. On the contrary, he presented two celebrated series works that really made him famous and also made possible the realization of “Leave The World Behind”.
We talk about “Mr. Robot” And “Homecoming”, which have nothing to do with ‘Leave The World Behind’, but which still show the handwriting here and there that Sam Esmail also shows in his Netflix film.
This is “Mr. Robot”
True series junkies have “Mr. Robot” is probably not recommended anymore, as it is one of THE hype series of the last decade. The story of the unstable Elliot (later Oscar winner Rami Malek in his big breakthrough role), who, in addition to his work as an IT security guard, also secretly causes mischief as a hacker with an identity disorder, which threatens to bring down his own company and with it the entire global financial system Sam Esmail’s baby through and through.
Of the 45 episodes of the series that he made, Esmail wrote a large part himself and from the second of four seasons he also directed all episodes himself. As he recently revealed, it was this intense directing experience that prepared him for “Leave The World Behind.” Experimenting with many different techniques and styles on “Mr. Robot” (for example when it comes to long shots or extensive dialogue-free passages) was given the necessary tools to realize his new film according to his ideas.
For a long time, the multi-award winning “Mr. Robot” is available in this country exclusively with a subscription to Amazon Prime Video. However, the series can currently only be streamed there at an additional cost, but can also be purchased on DVD, for example. However, it is available as a subscription from Telekom streaming service Magenta TV.
This is “Homecoming”
Slightly less known as “Mr. Robot, on the other hand, is “Homecoming,” made between 2018 and 2020, but just as exciting for Sam Esmail’s directing career as “Mr. Robot”. Although Esmail did not act as creator and author himself, he played a crucial role in shaping the look of the Amazon production as director of the entire first season. This brought him together for the first time with Oscar winner Julia Roberts, who now also plays one of the leading roles in ‘Leave The World Behind’.
However, they were both no longer actively involved in Season 2, even though they are still listed here as executive producers. Both seasons are still available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
The focus of the first “Homecoming” season is on Heidi Bergman (Roberts), who has long worked as a counselor at a special facility caring for soldiers after traumatic war operations. When it all becomes too much, she decides to pull the trigger, but her past soon catches up with her, not least as more and more doubts arise about the true aims of the institution.
Incidentally, season 2 introduces a new main character (played by “Moonlight” star Janelle Monáe), who also comes into contact with the homecoming facility from season 1 and its machinations.
Anyone who is not yet familiar with Sam Esmail’s career but is now increasingly interested in it after ‘Leave The World’ cannot ignore the two series.