‘The End We Start From’ movie review: Mahalia Belo’s British disaster flick provides tender warmth
Going to the cinema to watch a new disaster movie is probably the last thing on most people’s to-do list this January, especially considering the very real political and environmental catastrophes currently occurring around the world. Yet, the humble British tale The End We Start From is not the kind of bombastic anxiety ride that Roland Emmerich pumps out for Hollywood. Rather, this film might even instil you with some hope for the future of the human race.
Indeed, if you’re bored of disaster movies that feature furious volcanoes and tsunamis that tower over Big Ben, The End We Start From is the perfect antidote, telling the story of a truly British crisis, a flood that’s almost embarrassed to be there. Arriving at a metaphorical, if totally inconvenient, time for the nameless protagonist (played by Jodie Comer), who is rushed to the hospital to give birth just as the establishment is announcing its imminent evacuation, the flood displaces much of the London population, including themselves.
Fleeing to the country where the father’s parents reside, the pair attempt to raise a child while amid almost total uncertainty and anxiety, creating a gripping set-up, largely thanks to how effortlessly first-time director Mahalia Belo handles the tone of the material. Based on the book of the same name by Megan Hunter, Belo turns the quiet tale of motherhood into a thoughtful social realist drama with a painfully conceivable environmental sprinkle.
Murder, death and the more cinematic violence of a bog-standard disaster flick are toned down in favour of the real human loss of such an event. In true British style, most victims merely ‘keep calm and carry on’, but behind every weathered face is a desperation to return to the beautiful humdrum of everyday life, where one’s biggest worries now seem fatuous in the face of life-threatening disorder.
This sense of longing and loss is beautifully captured by Alice Birch’s adapted screenplay, which doesn’t squeeze the novel too hard for its goodness, instead using the lead ensemble cast to bring the tale to life. After her dominance in the award-winning production of the stage play Prima Facie, Jodie Comer proves once again that she is capable of carrying a project single-handedly, but one shouldn’t ignore the contributions of the likes of Mark Strong, Joel Fry and Gina McKee, who each help to ground the material.
While meditative and thought-provoking, with Belo packing most of the sets with stunning stained glass windows that contrast with the world’s disorder outside, The End We Start From leaves a little more to be desired. Tentatively exploring the difficulties of raising children in the face of environmental disaster and social turmoil while never properly probing this question deeper, Belo’s debut departs with warm thanks for your time without giving you anything to properly think about aside from ‘love prevails’.
Now, it would take a cold beast not to see the genuine benevolence in such a message, but such a sweeping statement allows it to wither into the background of your mind. Yet, even still, as British disaster movies go, this is certainly one of the few and, as a result, one of the best.
