The End We Start From (2023)

The End We Start From (2023). 1h 42m | R

“I knew almost nothing about u0026quot;The End We Start Fromu0026quot; when I booked my ticket, no trailer, no poster even, it just worked out timewise so I took the plunge. Whilst the performances were pretty good, Iu0026#39;m less convinced of the point of the actual story.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eA couple (Jodie Comer and Joel Fry) have a baby, just as the UK is in the early stages of an ecological crisis. Months of ongoing rainfall leave much of the country underwater and make the low-lying towns and cities uninhabitable. They travel north, to the home of the parents of Fryu0026#39;s character (Mark Strong and Nina Sosanya) but as the rain continues to fall, their supplies dwindle, and the population slowly begins to get desperate.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIu0026#39;d say I appreciated the film, more than I actually liked it. Itu0026#39;s dragged along by another virtuosa performance from Jodie Comer, who is in virtually every scene. Sheu0026#39;s ably supported by Fry though, who abandons his usual comedic turns for something altogether more haunted. The really strong supporting cast also include roles for Katherine Waterston, Gina McKee and a cameo from Benedict Cumberbatch. Itu0026#39;s a very British version of this sort of story and the scenes of London devastation brought to mind u0026quot;28 Days Lateru0026quot;. You can tell how serious things are becoming when we wonu0026#39;t form an orderly queue for emergency supplies.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIu0026#39;m not really sure what it was in service of though. I feel like there must be a bigger theme that Iu0026#39;m missing, I suspect that itu0026#39;s perhaps loss and coping mechanisms, as weu0026#39;re told later in the film that Comeru0026#39;s characters parents recently passed away, and sheu0026#39;s not really dealt with it. Generally, the story feels like a largely unconnected series of vignettes though and it was, for me, lacking some moment of ultimate revelation. I wonder if, in the book, itu0026#39;s easier to tie a connection between the communeu0026#39;s decision to abandon life as it was, in comparison to her decision to have a baby as way of dealing with her parentsu0026#39; death. Maybe Iu0026#39;m way off though.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSo, lots to admire about this, but not a whole lot to love and I canu0026#39;t imagine that Iu0026#39;ll ever see the need to watch it again.”