The End We Start From

Available on Netflix

One of the greatest sources of paranoia for aspiring Millennial parents such as myself is the climate crisis and, more specifically, the type of world it will allow us to leave behind for future generations. Mahalia Belo’s The End We Start From, which is adapted by Normal People and Succession writer Alice Birch from Megan Hunter’s novel of the same name, brings these generational concerns into sharp focus by following a new mother (Jodie Comer) on her quest to find refuge in the wake of a catastrophic flood that has submerged London and much of the United Kingdom.

Comer, who has been steadily establishing herself as one of the finest actors of her generation since her breakthrough in Killing Eve, delivers an outstanding lead performance that immediately elevates Belo’s unhurried allegory beyond what it might otherwise have been. In a manner not dissimilar to her turn in Marc Munden’s COVID-19 drama The Help, Comer delicately navigates a gamut of emotions and, in doing so, makes the gravity of her character’s situation abundantly clear. It is a mightily impressive and powerful display that reinforces the notion that there are few - if any - more talented actors working today.

Belo’s vision of a U.K. that has been ravaged by an environmental disaster is also disconcertingly convincing, thanks in no small part to the impressive work of cinematographer Suzie Lavelle and production designer Laura Ellis-Cricks. This makes up for the occasional shortcomings of Birch’s screenplay, which intermittently indulges in the short of logic-defying scenes that are commonplace in disaster movies (such as a moment where Comer’s character and her friends find time to dance by a fireside to Caribou, despite there being no electricity or Wi-Fi).    

All in all, this is an effective call to arms that reminds audiences of the importance of doing our bit to help shape a more positive future for the next generation.