What are Barack and Michelle Obama doing now that they have left the White House? Lots of things no doubt, but among the most unexpected, they co-produced The World After Us by Sam Esmail, available from Friday on Netflix. So much the better, because it is an excellent disaster film made by the creator of the series Mr. Robot And Homecoming where we enjoy finding Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Kevin Bacon and Mahershala Ali (Oscar winner for Moonlight by Barry Jenkins in 2017 for Green Book by Peter Farrelly in 2019).
This is the first fiction produced by the couple, and perhaps not the last since it is part of the CONTRACT that the Obamas signed with Netflix in 2018 under the banner of their firm Higher Grounds Productions. “Barack and I have always believed in the power of stories to inspire us and make us see the world differently by making us open our minds to others,” Michelle Obama confided in a communicated.
Soon the apocalypse?
The plot of World according to us fits this description. In the luxurious vacation home they rent, a wealthy couple and their children receive a visit from the owners who announce a blackout. Things will quickly degenerate to the point of threatening the country, then the planet, as they must sort out friends and enemies in an increasingly hostile environment.
“We were honored that they both wanted to participate,” recalls Julia Roberts in the American show The View. Sam Esmail and I were upset about it: we bragged about it everywhere, even while waiting in line at the supermarket checkout. » The actress was visibly impressed by the couple in their role as producers.
A cult book for Barack Obama
“The book was on the president’s recommendation list in the year of publication and can therefore be said to have been involved in the project from the beginning,” insists Julia Roberts. He and Michelle were very involved and brilliant. » The nightmare shared The World After We finds the right balance between spectacular scenes and intimate moments to build suspense. And to think that the outcome of the film is approved by a former President of the United States, we shudder in anticipation.