What Was the Spanish-Speaking Woman Trying To Tell Us in ‘Leave the World Behind’?

The ambiguous psychological thriller Leave the World Behind has taken Netflix by storm since its release. While the fates of several characters are left unknown, there’s one mystery many viewers may be left feeling especially curious about. What was going on with the Spanish-speaking woman whom we saw in just one brief, harrowing cameo?

The film follows the Sanford family, who are on vacation in Long Beach when the nation begins experiencing a crisis. Meanwhile, they’re unable to get a clear picture of what is happening due to being in an unfamiliar place with their technology rendered useless. After becoming aware of a blackout and potential cybersecurity attack, the Sanford patriarch, Clay (Ethan Hawke), decides to drive into town to find someone and figure out what’s happening. Unfortunately, he’s pretty helpless with no GPS or radio and mainly drives around barren roads. However, after some time, he notices a woman waving him down on the side of the road.

When he pulls over and rolls down the window, the woman rushes over and begins speaking Spanish. The problem is that Clay doesn’t speak Spanish. He tries to communicate to her that he can’t understand her as the desperation and pleading in her voice grows. Non-Spanish-speaking audiences are made to relate to Clay’s desperate confusion, as the woman’s pleas are presented without subtitles.

After several moments of them going back and forth without understanding a word the other is saying, Clay makes a shocking choice. He begins to drive away, even as the tearful woman follows him briefly, pounding on the window. The woman is never seen again, and her name is never even mentioned on screen.

What did the woman say in Spanish to Clay?

Leave the World Behind‘s credits reveal that the woman’s name is Salvadora, and she is portrayed by Vanessa Aspillaga. However, viewers are left to translate the scene for themselves. Fortunately, the multi-lingual culture site Auralcrave has translated the scene.

When Salvadora first begins waving down Clay, she says, “Please! Sir! I need help, please! Please, sir!” Once he pulls over, she tells him:

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?

Viewers might have hoped that Salvadora had some vital information about the plot. Instead, she seems to be in the same situation as Clay, which is more realistic as the dependence on technology has left everyone scrambling and confused. Like the other characters, she has witnessed the odd behavior of the deer and seen the drone that was dropping red pamphlets. Meanwhile, her predictable statement and reaction make Clay’s actions even more unforgivable. Regardless of the language barrier, anyone could see that the woman was clearly asking for help.

Even without understanding her, Clay could’ve let her in the car and driven back to the house to see if anyone there spoke Spanish, or she could’ve pointed out the directions to her home. Instead, he just leaves her behind. A small part may be that he doesn’t trust her, but it mostly seems to be about his unwillingness to work around a language barrier. It forces us to think about what we would do in this situation if we couldn’t just pull out Google Translate as we’re accustomed to.

The scene also contributes to the underlying commentary on racism and race relations. Clay isn’t as openly racist as his wife, but his unwillingness to help someone during what could be the end of the world because they speak a different language than him shows his prejudices.

(featured image: Netflix)