A One Mann’s Movies Film Review of “The End We Start From” (2024).
I’ve commented in recent reviews about the sad demise of some of our acting legends, with the passing of the likes of the great Dames Diana Rigg and Glenda Jackson. But the shoots of a future British movie acting legend are there for all to see in the films of Jodie Comer. For she has greatly impressed me in all of her recent films: “Free Guy“, “The Last Duel” and “The Bikeriders” (which I’ve seen at the LFF but which is, inexplicably, not out in the UK until June) . And here again, with the apocalyptic drama “The End We Start From”, she delivers a terrific, nuanced performance as the young mother fighting against the odds to protect her newborn baby.
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
Plot Summary:
Young Zeb has a bumpy start to life as his mother (Jodie Comer) gives birth to him in the depths of a global-warming-induced disaster striking London. Together with his father (Joel Fry), the family seek safety on higher ground.
Certification:
UK: 15; US: R. (From the BBFC web site: “Strong language”).
(Note: the illustrious Mrs Movie Man was a bit trepidatious about going to see this one. Disaster Film? Baby involved? Eeek! But she really enjoyed it too, and there was nothing in there – despite the ’15’ certificate – to really freak her out. With a bit of judicious editing of the language, this could have easily been a ’12A’).
Talent:
Starring: Jodie Comer, Joel Fry, Mark Strong, Benedict Cumberbatch, Gina McKee, Nina Sosanya, Katherine Waterston.
Directed by: Mahalia Belo.
Written by: Alice Birch. (Based on the novel by Megan Hunter).
Twitter Handle: #TheEndWeStartFrom.
Running Time: 1h 42m.
“The End We Start From” Film Review:
Positives:
- For any UK person as old and crinkly as me, you will probably fondly remember your teenage TV schedules being occupied by the BBC’s “Survivors” which ran for two seasons from 1975 to 1977. This told the story of life in Britain after a contagion was released from a lab, with a much higher mortality rate than (fortunately) Covid-19 proved to have. The reason I raise this is that this film reminded me a lot of that series, focusing less (for budget reasons) on the ensuing disaster and more on the psychological impact on, and interactions between, a small group of survivors. It feels a ‘small’ film, in a good way. Given we spend a lot of time out of doors, it feels remarkably claustrophobic, all down to the excellent writing of Alice Birch.
- The cast is teriffic – a who’s who of British acting talent. Some, like Cumberbatch, in a memorable cameo, are a nice surprise. Shining at the helm is Jodie Comer, who is wonderful as the desperate mother staying remarkable calm under trying conditions until, occasionally, the pressure-cooker let’s off steam. Also I really enjoyed the performance by Katherine Waterston as the mother’s travelling companion “O”: a really touching friendship that always feels like it’s bordering on more than that.
- This is Mahalia Belo’s debut feature film, and she does a cracking job – a name to watch for the future. This could easily have been a 150 minute film, but she keeps jumping the action forwards leaving you scrabbling to keep up. One minute “the mother” (noone has names in this film) is in a car at a food distribution site; the next she is sitting elsewhere but with a gashed head. A lot of the action goes on off-screen and is implied, not shown. Very clever.
- For a film made for £9 million, the special effects of a drowned and smashed up London are impressively done, reminding me of “The Girl With All The Gifts” in that regard. With a BvS quotient (I haven’t used that acronym for a while!) of nearly 28, it joins “Godzilla Minus One” in delivers one of the best ‘bangs-for-the-buck’ of movies in 2024.
- The music by Anna Meredith is hauntingly beautiful, adding great tension to some scenes where it needs to do so. Very impressive.
Negatives:
- As a warning about the perils of Global Warming, it graphically portrays what might happen to us in the UK and has a well-chosen release date as we battle with the waves of winter storms coming in. I guess one thing that didn’t ring true about this for me was that it seemed to be seen as a “one off”. A freak event that wouldn’t happen again. In that way, the events at the end of the film struck me as a bit odd. A more apocalyptic “we need to completely rebuild our lives elsewhere” finale would have worked better for me.
Summary Thoughts on “The End We Start From”
I had the pleasure of seeing Mahalia Belo and Alice Birch talking about the film at a recent “Mark Kermode in 3D” event at London’s BFI (see picture below). The film sounded good from that and so it proved to be. A well-made film with a good story that kept me absorbed and invested throughout its running time. Recommended.
Trailer for “The End We Start From”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MciSEbkTkXw .
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