Movies set in dystopian worlds often balance the threat of extinction with the resilient hope that is fuelled by the possibility of a future. The presence of children in these films serves as a powerful reminder of that hope. Just like Alfonso Cuarón’s Children of Men and John Hillcoat’s The Road, Mahalia Belo’s debut film, The End We Start From, showcases ordinary individuals turning into heroes driven by the primal instinct to protect and defend the children in their care.
The film revolves around an unnamed mother (played by Jodie Comer) who goes into early labor when water starts flooding their London home. As the water doesn’t seem to stop, the family decides to head to the countryside where they can find safety and sustenance. However, tragedy strikes, separating the mother and her baby and forcing them to embark on a journey of survival.
In the novel, The End We Start From, Megan Hunter doesn’t provide much detail about the ecological disaster that renders London uninhabitable. The screenplay adaptation by Alice Birch follows this lead, and as the director, Mahalia Belo focuses on visually capturing the emotional turmoil of the mother, who carries a small baby while facing the unknown. The film’s strongest asset is Jodie Comer’s exceptional performance, as she effortlessly conveys subtle changes in her character’s mental state, whether it’s moments of passion or moments of impending doom.
The cast also includes Elisabeth Waterston as another mother at an emergency shelter, Mark Strong as the loving father, and Benedict Cumberbatch as a soulful nomad who serves as the executive producer. While Strong and Cumberbatch have brief cameos, Waterston’s character becomes the mother’s sidekick, injecting moments of humor into the story. However, their relationship quickly becomes tiresome and lacks depth, making it challenging to empathize with their struggles.
However, the Achilles heel of Belo’s debut is its inclination towards muted meditation over dramatic exposure. The End We Start From lacks the emotional pull required to fully engage the audience. We are never truly confronted with the terror of the flood or given enough time to empathize with the characters whose lives have been upended. The attempts to establish sympathy for the mother rely solely on her role as a mother or on rushed flashbacks that serve as a crutch when the story reaches dead ends. This aimlessness affects the film’s pacing, with the second act dragging on endlessly while the conclusion feels rushed, introducing characters without sufficient justification for their presence other than moving the mother’s journey forward.
By the time the much-anticipated reunion occurs, it feels inadequate and late. The lack of patience in The End We Start From hinders the audience’s ability to find satisfaction amid the frustration. This is unfortunate because Belo occasionally captures poignant moments of raw humanity when Comer’s character dwells on the grief that accompanies motherhood or the losses that come with new beginnings and endings. These moments allow us to grasp the magnitude of what is at stake.