Rent The End We Start From (2023)

Realistic & Absorbing Survival Drama - The End We Start From review by GI

A well grounded survival drama set in Britain as unprecedented rainfall floods London and forces a young mother on a quest for survival. This film is marked by two main things, firstly it doesn't focus on the bigger picture and so there's not huge expansive visuals of the land ruined under the disaster this narrative focuses on the human spirit for survival and it's chiefly about the characters; and secondly the central performance of Jodie Comer as the mother is nothing short of magnificent. The film's characters are mostly unnamed and we meet Comer's woman as she gives birth during the storm that begins an environmental crisis. With her loving and amiable partner played by Joel Fry they take their newborn son and head northwards to his parents (Mark Strong & Nina Sosanya) who live in the country. But as food supplies run short the inevitable threat starts from others intent on their own survival at any cost and there's the ever present tension as the family is torn apart and the woman is forced onto the road with her baby. Comer plays the main role as a smart, intelligent woman with the inevitable doubts caused by the frightening events she navigates through. She dominates the film and it's hard to fault her in any way here. There's a cracking support cast including Katherine Waterston who is another survivor and Benedict Cumberbatch (who is also a producer here). I admit I found the various flashback sequences to be distracting and I'm not sure of there benefit to the narrative but overall this is a fresh take on the post apocalyptic road/survival film and it's absorbing and realistic.

A micro-budget film with excellent practical effects is let down by a meandering story - The End We Start From review by TB

Whilst watching this film, the main thought that kept coming into my head was how different it's impact would have been if it had been released before the COVID pandemic. Whilst there was in no way the scenes of violence which are depicted in the film, the sight of empty towns, massive queues for food & hospitals which are overwhelmed strike far more poignantly having been through a world pandemic.

But whilst there is strong imagery, brilliant use of minimal effects to convey the scenes of horror & carnage (the opening 15 minutes is absolutely genius in how it ratchets up the tension,) the film then becomes an exercise in often mundane padding, interspersed with some brilliant moments. Benedict Cumberbatch in particular has an incredible 10 minute part, giving not only a potted history of his character's previous life & despair, but also a terrible yet subtle warning of what awaits the women who he offers food & shelter to.

Whilst Jodie Comer is brilliant, as she always is, her performance is often let down by a script which doesn't seem to know what it wants to show. We have some extremely powerful & beautifully shot moments, such as Comer bathing in the sea & it being a striking metaphor for her cleansing herself of the past horrors before she looks towards the future for herself & her new baby, or when she is cooking on a mountain side & a magnificent bird of prey lands next to her, one of many biblical influences.

However, I still felt this was a missed opportunity. Unlike Children of Men, which really delved into the desperation of the population of the UK when society starts to crumble, this film simply is a passive observer without much to say for itself.

Why the music - The End We Start From review by Ernie

This is a good well acted film, the story is a little thin but easily followed. However the music track which I assume is to build tension utterly failed to do so, in fact it detracted from the film. Overall it worth the time.