Leave the World Behind is one of those films that get you all roused up only to have so many unanswered questions in the end. One question that people are asking is what was the Spanish woman saying in Leave the World Behind?
Since people have thought of so many conspiracy theories regarding the film, people can't help but wonder if her message was important. And given the fact that Netflix did not leave a subtitle for it, people had no choice but to look for answers from others.
So what was she saying in the film? And who was she? Was she an important character? Here's what we know.
Leave the World Behind: What Was the Spanish Woman Saying?
The scene in question starts at the 1:28:00 mark. Clay Sandford (played by Ethan Hawke) is driving around town and gets lost because his GPS couldn't get a signal along with every other piece of technology.
He drives up to a woman flagging his car down the road. When he opens his window, the woman hurriedly starts talking in Spanish. Clay can't understand her since he doesn't speak Spanish. After a few minutes of trying, he rolls up his window and drives away, leaving the woman alone.
As viewers, we may not exactly know what she was saying, but the panic in her eyes and voice was clear.
And thanks to those who speak Spanish, we finally get to know what the Spanish woman was saying in Leave the World Behind. As translated by Auralcrave, the message was:
"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?"
As Clay drives away with remorse, the woman starts chasing after him and says:
“Don’t leave me here, sir! I’m scared and I don’t want to be alone! Sir, I don’t want to be alone! No, sir! No! No!”
Who Was the Spanish Woman in Leave the World Behind?
The movie doesn't show the Spanish woman again after her encounter with Clay. Her name was also never mentioned in the film. But in the book, George suspects that she is his maid, Rosa.
In Leave the World Behind's IMDB page, the Spanish woman is credited as Vanessa Aspillaga (as Salvadora), an actress who is famous for her role in Morning Glory and Love & Other Drugs. Aside from Spanish, Aspillaga can converse in French, Italian, and Portuguese.
Why Didn't Netflix Provide a Translation?
Although there are subtitles throughout the movie, this particular scene was not translated intentionally.
Avid fans who read the source material shared that this was intentionally done to follow the book. They have also pointed out in the comments section of this TikTok that by leaving out the English translation of the message, we come to realize our dependence on technology, which was one of the points of the movie.
There wasn't anything significant about what she said. But if you understood Spanish, they were spoilers of what the main characters witnessed next. So, perhaps it was good for those who couldn't understand what she said.
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