Precious land ravaged by wildfires. Hurricanes intensifying. Blistering heatwaves. The world is facing a profound climate crisis yet despite the growing number of environmental disasters, life continues on. We show up for work, forge relationships, and bring new life into the world. The End We Start From, director Mahalia Belo’s feature debut, is a raw, emotional, and layered apocalyptic drama that examines our primal instinct for survival in the face of uncertainty. Fraught with emotional resonance, Belo explores motherhood and resilience against a frighteningly plausible backdrop.
Taking the stage for the film’s world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, Belo shares: “This film is about the journeys we go on when life takes us by surprise.” Adapted from Megan Hunter’s foreboding bestseller, The End We Start From follows a new mother (Jodie Comer), her partner (Joel Fry), and their newborn baby boy Zeb in their plight to escape catastrophic flooding that has pummeled London. But the outlook is bleak. As infrastructure collapses and resources become scarce, humanity devolves. Civility is abandoned as desperation and fear incite animalistic behavior and violence. Amid the chaos, the young mother is abandoned by her partner and forced to fight for survival in the face of unbelievable odds.
Alice Birch’s script shifts away from the formulaic disaster movie approach by giving prominence to the “who” (rather than the “what” or the “why”) of the story. The film’s intimate storytelling is disturbingly effective in its approach – right down to the decision to leave the characters nameless (a choice that is also reflected in the original source material). Being struck by an environmental disaster is no longer a plotline in a fantasy movie – it’s a very real possibility that’s simply impossible to ignore. Mother Nature has the power to rewrite our reality, consuming our homes, possessions, and loved ones without warning. It’s this very fact that makes the film so compelling from start to finish.
Jodie Comer delivers a vulnerable and riveting performance – from her unrelenting pursuit to protect her baby to her perseverance in navigating postpartum challenges in the midst of unprecedented disaster. She effortlessly handles the physical and psychological battleground that is motherhood – her fear, uncertainty, and, ultimately, hope, palpable in every scene. The supporting cast, which includes Katherine Waterston as a fellow young mother who provides kinship and a support system for the protagonist, and Benedict Cumberbatch as a man who offers kindness amid the darkness, make the most of their limited screen time and help move the story forward. As a fellow new mother myself, Comer’s character deeply resonated with me. I found her story captivating, heartbreaking, and intense all rolled into one.
The End We Start From is a visual triumph. Belo and cinematographer Suzie Lavelle utilize water and shots of scenery in a devastatingly beautiful way, reminding us of our fragility and smallness against the wrath of nature. The camera work also creates an intimacy to the narrative, with close-up shots capturing the medley of emotions the characters face as they struggle to cope and survive.
A cautionary tale, The End We Start From is a touching journey and testimonial to the strength of women. Belo and Comer truly bring Hunter’s work to life, ditching the post-apocalyptic cinema tropes for a story that offers a glimpse into post-crisis existence and humanity’s power to survive. As the title suggests, even in the wake of devastation, when the world as we know it has been washed away, there is always hope for a new beginning.
The End We Start From held its World Premiere as part of the Gala Presentations section at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. It is currently expected to debut in theaters on December 8, 2023 courtesy of Paramount’s Republic Pictures.
Director: Mahalia Belo
Writer: Alice Birch
Rated: NR
Runtime: 102m
A cautionary tale, The End We Start From is a touching journey and testimonial to the strength of women. Belo and Comer truly bring Hunter’s work to life, ditching the post-apocalyptic cinema tropes for a story that offers a glimpse into post-crisis existence and humanity’s power to survive. As the title suggests, even in the wake of devastation, when the world as we know it has been washed away, there is always hope for a new beginning.
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