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The End We Start From
British film by Mahalia Belo From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The End We Start From is a 2023 British survival film starring Jodie Comer as a woman who, with her family, has to endure displacement when a widespread ecological disaster floods Britain. The film is directed by Mahalia Belo based on a screenplay by Alice Birch that adapts the 2017 novel The End We Start From by Megan Hunter. The film also stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Katherine Waterston and Mark Strong.
The End We Start From premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on 10 September 2023.[3][4] It was released in the United States on 8 December 2023, followed by release in the United Kingdom on 19 January 2024. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and was nominated in several categories at the 2023 British Independent Film Awards.
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Plot
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Protracted storms and heavy rain cause London to be flooded just as the Woman goes into labour, giving birth to her newborn baby son Zeb. With incessant rain the flooding spreads to other low-lying areas of Britain, triggering a country-wide crisis with food supplies and accommodations for people displaced by the ecological disaster. The woman and her husband R are forced to flee with their baby to R's parents. The woman and R live comfortably with R's parents until they begin to run out of supplies. R and his parents leave the Woman and Zeb at the house to get food from a distribution facility. While they are gone, the Woman passes the time playing with Zeb. That evening, a man and boy show up at the Woman's home and eat some of her food before leaving. R and his father return home, distraught at the death of R's mother. Shortly after, R's distraught father N dies by suicide, leaving R badly traumatised.
Woman and R decide to go to a local shelter, but R is unable to join the Woman and Zeb as the shelter will only take one caregiver per child. The Woman makes friends with O, another mother with a five month old girl. Sometime later, the shelter gets attacked by raiders. The Woman and O escape and find a man, AB, who is alone. He confirms O's story that there is an island commune to the north, where he stayed for some time before leaving, concerned that they refused to remember how society was.
After AB departs, heading back to a city, the Woman, Zeb, O, and her baby travel North. They eventually reach the northern dock AB mentioned, where a boat picks them up the next day. While at a remote island off the coast of Scotland, Woman finds the desire of the commune's residents to be shielded from the rest of the world too stifling and difficult to accept, while also missing her husband. The Woman and O say goodbye to each other before the Woman and Zeb are taken back to the mainland. They make their way south, stealing a car along the way. Eventually, the Woman gets taken into London, where she makes her way to her home. While cleaning up, the Woman and Zeb are reunited with R when he returns home.
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Cast
- Jodie Comer as Woman
- Joel Fry as R
- Yves Rassou as MW
- Ramanique Ahluwalia as DR
- Neil Bell as MWC
- Nina Sosanya as G
- Mark Strong as N
- Phillipa Peak as B
- Katherine Waterston as O
- Theo Barklem-Biggs as L
- Ansu Kabia as D
- Benedict Cumberbatch as AB
- Gina McKee as F
- Alexandria Riley as P
Production
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Development
Benedict Cumberbatch's company SunnyMarch with Hera Pictures acquired the rights in May 2017 to Megan Hunter's debut novel The End We Start From before the book had been published. Cumberbatch was quoted as saying it was "a stunning tale of motherhood [and] a striking and frighteningly real story of a family fighting for survival that will make everyone stop and think about what kind of planet we are leaving behind for our children". Cumberbatch was announced as a producer alongside Hera Pictures founder Liza Marshall, Adam Ackland, and Sophie Hunter.[5]
In May 2022, it was announced that Mahalia Belo would direct an Alice Birch screenplay adaptation of the novel with Jodie Comer attached to appear as the central mother character. Production was listed as being completed by SunnyMarch through Leah Clarke and Ackland and Hera Pictures' Marshall alongside Amy Jackson and Hunter. With BBC Film and Anton adding finance, executive producers were Comer, Cumberbatch, Eva Yates, Cecile Gaget and Sébastien Raybaud.[6] A budget of £9 million has been reported for the project.[2] Also confirmed as working on the project were Suzie Lavelle as cinematographer, PC Williams as costume designer, production designer Laura Ellis-Cricks and hair and make-up designer Louise Coles.[7] Director Belo described the film as a "unique and original take on a survival film. One that feels in tune with the climate crisis we are experiencing now."[8]
Casting
In August 2022, it was revealed that Katherine Waterston had been added to the cast.[9] In September 2022, it was confirmed that Cumberbatch and Mark Strong, Joel Fry, Gina McKee, and Nina Sosanya had been added to the cast and that principal photography had begun in London. Strong had been added as an executive producer along with Kate Maxwell, Fanny Soulier and Pieter Engels from Anton, and Claudia Yusef for BBC Film. C2 Motion Picture Group had been brought in for funding with Dave Caplan and Jason Cloth in as executive producers, with National Lottery funding coming via the BFI with Lizzie Francke acting as an executive producer.[10]
Filming
As well as in London,[11][12] principal photography was reported to have taken place at disused boarding school Carmel College in southern Oxfordshire.[13]
Music
The score is by Anna Meredith.[14]
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Release
In May 2023, Signature Entertainment and Republic Pictures acquired U.K. and U.S. distribution rights, respectively.[15][16]
It was released in the United States on 8 December 2023, and in the United Kingdom on 19 January 2024.[17][18]
Reception
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 89% of 80 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.9/10. The website's consensus reads: "Led by Jodie Comer's gripping performance in the central role, The End We Start From offers a thoughtful, haunting look at the end of the world."[19] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 65 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[20]
Accolades
The End We Start From received nine nominations for the 2023 British Independent Film Awards, including Best Lead Performance for Jodie Comer, and Best Supporting Performance for Katherine Waterston, as well as Best Cinematography for Suzie Lavelle and Best Costume Design for PC Williams.[21]
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References
External links
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