Obama-Consulted Netflix Film Launches, Generates Controversy

Facts

• Former Pres. Barack Obama's company Higher Ground has released a Netflix film, 'Leave the World Behind.' The movie, which depicts a nationwide cyberattack, also contains a controversial scene that some viewers claim demonizes White people.¹
• The film, which revolves around two families surviving a nationwide cyberattack, has a specific scene that features a Black couple in bed with the lines, 'I'm asking you to remember that if the world falls apart, trust should not be doled out easily to anyone, especially white people.'²
• Pres. Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama had provided notes for the thriller, based on Ruman Alman's novel of the same name, which has been directed by Sam Esmail and stars Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Kevin Bacon and Ethan Hawke.³
• Terming him 'a big movie lover,' Esmail had recently said that the former US president 'had a lot of notes about the characters' as 'he wanted to see a really good film.'⁴
• However, some outlets suggested the controversial scene of the film — which reportedly had Obama's approval — is racist as it negatively depicts White people during a catastrophic event.²

Sources: ¹Hindustan Times, ²Newsweek, ³FOX News and ⁴Independent.

Narratives

• Right narrative, as provided by Americanmediaperiscope. The Obamas have contributed much to the left-wing entertainment industry since leaving the White House — from a documentary about Michelle to a woke readaptation of 'Schoolhouse Rock' — but their ties to this film may take the cake. While the movie is based on a novel and, of course, Obama didn't write the film, his role in the film's production shows that even when out of office, one of the former president's favorite pastimes is to participate in dividing the country by pandering to identity politics Hollywood will love it — but regular Americans won't.
• Left narrative, as provided by Roger Ebert. Though some people — likely due to their worldview or hatred of certain politicians — may see this film as a supposedly 'woke' propaganda piece, the film is an artful portrayal of modern-day racial tensions mixed into the classic apocalyptic movie genre. In a real-world catastrophe, these tensions would be real when trust and teamwork are the keys to survival — something director Sam Esmail displays well in this cultural critique, reflecting Obama's commitment to projects addressing significant issues.
• Cynical narrative, as provided by POLITICO. The media landscape is being driven by attempts to monetize 'culture wars.' Camps on both the right and left are increasingly gravitating — and defecting — to their own niche platforms and content. An Obama-consulted Netflix movie is one of many new developments that will inevitably be framed within the culture wars, which are moving as fast as the very platforms and applications that are hosting them.

Predictions