Netflix’s Leave the World Behind left viewers with quite a few questions about its narrative. One of the mysteries that fans want a proper answer to is what is the hurtful noise that frequently makes the characters cover their ears. What was it and where was it coming from? Here’s all you need to know.
What was the noise in Leave the World Behind?
Leave the World Behind didn’t necessarily address the screeching noise. It only alluded to the fact that this could be the Havana syndrome that people of the real world experienced in Cuba in 2016.
The movie is based on Rumaan Alam’s novel of the same name, which also featured the unexplained piercing noise. While the movie also practically leaves its mystery unsolved, it does provide us with a few hints about what it could have been.
After hearing the uncomfortable loud noise for the first time, Archie Sandford questioned whether the noise came from a sonic boom after a plane broke the sound barrier. With planes crashing near the area, one could think that the noise came from them.
But G.H. Scott replied that planes usually don’t break the sound barrier. It used to happen with the Concorde planes, but they no longer fly. Following her father’s explanation, Ruth suggested that it could have been a new kind of plane. But this plane theory was never addressed again.
Then during the intense conversation with Danny towards the end, he hinted towards a similar situation to the Havana syndrome that was reported by people in Cuba in 2016 (in the real world). He stated that in it, microwave radiation gets emitted through sound, which is what might have happened in the film.
According to Health:
“Havana syndrome is a condition some government officials and their family members at US embassies in different countries have reported experiencing since 2016.”
The symptoms of Havana Syndrome typically involve hearing certain sounds without any outside noise, vertigo and headaches, nausea, balance issues, and memory loss, which were endured by Archie in Leave the World Behind.
For more updates, check out what role Obama played in its development. Also, learn what the Spanish lady said in the film.
