When the water breaks: A review of 'The End We Start From'
At A Glance
- This film recognizes and hails a furious, primal love, an attachment between mother and child.
Environmental collapse as your end-of-day scenario and the harrowing journey of a first-time mother and her baby are the themes of this thrilling film from new director Mahalia Belo. It boasts a cast led by Jodie Comer and Katherine Waterston, including Benedict Cumberbatch, Joel Fry, and Mark Strong. Based on a Megan Hunter novel, the screenplay was adapted by Alice Birch.
As this national disaster and collapse of civilization is precipitated by flooding of the worst order throughout London and England, Bello’s opening images have to do with a bathtub that overflows and then connects to the flooding that is going on beyond this domestic scene. It’s no coincidence that it’s when the waters break for our pregnant Mom (namelessly portrayed by Jodie Comer), that the flooding reaches a level that signals ecological crisis time.
What’s admirable about the film is how it makes this disaster premise take on very personal and intimate notes. We don’t lose sense of what’s going on in the bigger world, but rather than beguile us with large, looming scenes of this, Belo keeps us on a micro-level, letting what transpires to our mother and baby become the prism through which we experience this version of the apocalypse.
The collapse of civilization as we know it, the fierce competition for scarce resources, and how panic and selfishness creep in and become the dominant motivators are all seen via Comer’s Odyssey. And it’s no coincidence that the one true helping hand comes from another woman (played by Katherine Waterston) when push comes to shove. Joel Fry, Cumberbatch, and Strong all have parts to play; some do charm and have important roles, but this is about motherhood and the bond created among fellow women.
This film recognizes and hails a furious, primal love, an attachment between mother and child. The decision to give the gift of Life, even during times as depicted here, is seen as a choice and affirmation of Humanity.
Jodie Comer has been recognized as one of her generation's more talented and exciting actresses, and it’s easy to see why these accolades are in this film. She’s at the center of everything that happens and makes her story well. It’s a sci-fi/disaster film, but watch this for Comer’s grasp of the role and how she interprets it.