21. The End We Start From; movie review

 

THE END WE START FROM

Cert 15

101 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong language

We watch news bulletins of worldwide natural disasters and have been thankful we don't suffer earthquakes, volcanoes or extreme weather in Britain.

However, global warming has turned our heads, and rising tides and floods have prompted us to believe we are no longer immune.

A non-stop deluge is the premise of Mahalia Belo's well-timed The End We Start From, starring the astoundingly versatile Jodie Comer.

The Killing Eve star plays a young woman who is heavily pregnant when a ferocious storm begins and then goes into labour as floodwaters surge.

The film flicks to a hospital where she gives birth to a healthy baby but is told she must leave because of the unfolding national emergency.

Joel Fry plays her husband, who takes charge of this situation and, via huge traffic hold-ups, brings his new family to his parents' house in the countryside.

As the flooding continues, food stocks run out, and the population becomes feral as survival instincts kick in.

Meanwhile, the new family faces tragedy and big decisions to ensure they come out on the other side.

The End We Start From doesn't have the special effects of disaster movies but  Comer's character and her fight for survival are more realistic than in most.

Consequently, audiences will either inwardly cheer or groan depending on their view of her big decisions,

It does nod to Hollywood with brief cameos from Benedict Cumberbatch and Mark Strong, while Gina McKee and Nina Sosanya give strong support.

But this is Comer's movie, and she enhances an already imposing reputation.

Reasons to watch: Realistic disaster movie

Reasons to avoid: Lacks big action scenes

Laughs: None

Jumps: Two

Vomit: None

Nudity: Yes

Overall rating: 8/10

Did you know? The worst flood ever recorded was along the Yellow River in Qing, China which began in September 1887 and killed at least 930,000 people. 

The final word. Jodie Comer: "I was really compelled by how Mahalia wanted to explore motherhood, how this woman's world is changed quite intimately through the birth of her son, but also simultaneously the world around her becoming gradually unrecognisable. It felt very nuanced." Glamour

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