Aahana Swrup
The ending of Netflix’s ‘No One Saw Us Leave‘ presents a nuanced and intricate conclusion to the Goldberg-Saltzman family dispute. At the beginning of the story, Leo Saltzman takes his children, Tamara and Isaac, on a trip to Europe behind their mother’s back as a way to punish Valeria by separating her from her kids. As the story progresses, the mother and her family do everything in their power to track Leo down, while the latter’s family, equally influential and powerful in the Mexican-Jewish community, repeatedly helps him in his narrow escapes.
Eventually, with the help of an ex-Mossad agent, Elias, Valeria is able to finally reunite with her children, who are living with their father at a Kibbutz in Israel. Following a court trial in Jerusalem, Leo is ultimately compelled to return to Mexico to battle out custody matters in court against his wife. However, despite their return home, Leo and the kids continue to remain hidden from the Goldberg family. Naturally, the father’s eventual change of heart, wherein he willingly hands the kids over to his soon-to-be-ex wife, becomes a point of major intrigue in his narrative. SPOILERS AHEAD!
The Saltzman Family’s Feud With the Goldbergs Influences Leo’s Actions
Although the narrative clearly pitches Valeria as the central protagonist in the story, it also extends a considerable amount of development and nuance to Leo. Thus, as this marital conflict unravels between the pair, we get to see both sides of the story in full. Off-the-bat, it remains evident that the latter is in the wrong for weaponizing separation with Tamara and Isaac against his wife as a means of punishment. Despite her offense of carrying out an extramarital affair with Carlos, Leo’s retaliation against Valeria remains well outside the bounds of morality, sentimentality, and even legality. Yet, it’s the punishment that the Saltzmans insist upon. Leo and Valeria’s marital union was not a product of romance or anything resembling the same.
Instead, it was always meant to be a deal of sorts, strengthening the bonds between the Goldberg and the Saltzman families. In the Mexican-Jewish community of the 1960s era, this type of union between young heirs of wealthy families was typical and expected. Naturally, it also led to an unsurprisingly loveless marriage between the two young individuals. However, Valeria fatefully finds a chance at actual love, albeit in all the wrong places. She begins pursuing an affair with Carlos, who is stuck in an equally miserable marriage with Gabriela, Leo’s sister. For the same reason, when the revelation of this affair comes out, the Saltzman family, particularly its patriarch, Samuel, feels incredibly betrayed and wronged. As a result, he instructs Leo to take the kids away from Valeria, convincing his son that it is the best thing to do in order to keep Tamara and Isaac safe and happy.
Leo’s Change of Heart Symbolizes His Acceptance of His Wrongdoings
Initially, Leo’s obedience to his father’s instructions showcases his own subdued position in the Saltzman family. Samuel had always been vocally disappointed in his son’s decision to pursue architecture instead of business to grow the family name. Consequently, Leo was always made to second-guess his own judgment and worth, even in matters concerning his own life. Although the social dynamics are undoubtedly different, he, too, was forced into an unwanted marriage much like Valeria. The union was first and foremost a way to solidify the partnership between the two families, with the upcoming construction of the community hospital in mind. Therefore, the reality of Valeria’s affair with Carlos wasn’t a source of heartbreak for Leo. Instead, it was only an act of outright and disrespectful betrayal.
These emotions, paired with his inability to oppose his father, compel Leo to follow Samuel’s plan of forcing a separation between Valeria and the kids. Nonetheless, with time, it becomes more and more obvious that what they’re doing is inhumane and wrong. While Samuel had been banking on the community extending support toward his family, the law remains in the Goldbergs’ favor. As a result, soon enough, Leo finds himself living like a fugitive, jumping from one continent to another with his young children in tow. However, all these adventures also open his eyes to the slights of his father, giving him the confidence and maturity to stand up against him. In the end, following Leo and the children’s return from Israel, Samuel still tries to hold on to some threads of control.
He compels his son to hide away from the public’s eye in a safehouse. The act is a clear and unequivocal example of how Samuel only cares to punish his daughter-in-law for her slight against his family rather than the actual well-being of his son and grandchildren. Leo likely comes to the same conclusion, finally seeing the reality of the situation for what it is. All this time, he had let himself be used as a pawn in his father’s games of power. Worse yet, he has hurt and traumatized his own children in the process. For the same reason, with this realization comes acceptance and regret over his actions. Thus, ultimately, once Valeria and her family finally find him, through a mysterious tip called in at Carlos’ place of work, Leo is ready to hand over the kids to their mother. Although we don’t get to see how things progress for the family from there, ending placards reveal that Tamara and Isaac went on to live with Valeria, while Leo lost out on their custody and only got to see his kids again 20 years later.
You must be logged in to post a comment.