'Spanish lady' from Leave the World Behind tells fans what happened to her character

Warning: Spoilers ahead

Among the rewatching of Christmas films, there’s one flick viewers are obsessing over – and there’s a whole lot to unpack.

Leave the World Behind is currently sitting in the top spot of films on Netflix as people make scary realisations, kick off about the controversial ending and come up with their own theories.

And one of those theories centres around the lack of subtitles during a particular scene.

But in case you’ve not seen it yet (and clearly aren’t too fussed about spoilers), Netflix’s logline for the film starring Julia Roberts and Kevin Bacon reads: “A family’s vacation is upended when two strangers arrive at night, seeking refuge from a cyberattack that grows more terrifying by the minute, forcing everyone to come to terms with their places in a collapsing world.”

While dad Clay (Ethan Hawke) is trying to find his way into town, he gets lost and comes across a panicked woman calling for help on the side of the road.

After pulling up, Clay rolls down his window and tries to find out what's going on but it quickly becomes apparent that there's a clear language barrier.

Instagram/@vanessaaspillaga

As the conversation goes on and the pair shout over each other in Spanish and English, the tensions rises, with Clay eventually giving up and driving off – and there’s no subtitles so if you don’t understand Spanish, you won’t know exactly what she was saying.

Plus, we don’t find out quite what happens to the woman.

However, Vanessa Aspillaga who played her took to Instagram to share what she reckons her fate is.

Sharing a selfie with Hawke, she wrote: “Don’t worry, he comes back for me in the sequel.

“I teach him Spanish, he teaches me English, and we learn to live off the grid.

“We’re the only survivors and while away the time telling each other stories and living off the land. It’s all good."

Netflix

As for why there’s no subtitles on her scene, a fan suggested on the TikTok: “In the scene where the lady is speaking Spanish to Clay, they purposely didn't put subtitles to symbolise that we'd be lost without technology."

I mean, if you've seen the film, it makes a lot of sense, think about how much a lot of us rely on our phones for pretty much everything, direction, translation, food, etc. They rule our lives.

And thanks to a translation, here is what she seems to be saying: “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?”

I mean, she had every right to be so scared.

Topics: Netflix, TV and Film

Jess Battison

Jess is an Entertainment Journalist with a love of all things pop culture. Her main interests include keeping up with the Twitter girlies, waiting for a new series of The Traitors and losing her voice at a Beyoncé concert. She graduated with a first in Journalism from City, University of London in 2021 and has previously worked at MyLondon.

@jessbattison_