The End We Start From review: "Jodie Comer is a force of nature in this apocalyptic drama"
Jan. 16, 2024A new mum’s survival instincts face an incredible test in this mournful but powerful end-of-the-world parable.
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Climate change knows no borders. Yet it’s still something of a shock to see London become its latest victim in this apocalyptic drama from director Mahalia Belo, making her feature debut. The End We Start From sees rising flood waters send residents scurrying out of the UK capital in an increasingly desperate search for sustenance and shelter.
Among the affected is an unnamed woman (played by Jodie Comer) who’s had a baby with her partner (Joel Fry) just as the world starts to crumble around her. The man’s mum and dad (Nina Sosanya, Mark Strong) offer an immediate safe haven.
Yet when that too becomes compromised, the family decides to head further north – first to a government-run encampment where only Comer’s character and her baby are admitted, and from there to a commune in the Orkneys, where friendship with another young mother (Katherine Waterston) supplies some fleeting respite from their stark new reality.
A brief cameo from producer Benedict Cumberbatch provides some additional mid-film star wattage. Yet who needs it when you have Comer, a force of nature to rival any city-swamping deluge?
The End We Start From is in UK and US cinemas from January 19.
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Neil Smith is a freelance film critic who has written for several publications, including Total Film. His bylines can be found at the BBC, Film 4 Independent, Uncut Magazine, SFX Magazine, Heat Magazine, Popcorn, and more.
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