I knew almost nothing about "The End We Start From" when I booked my ticket, no trailer, no poster even, it just worked out timewise so I took the plunge. Whilst the performances were pretty good, I'm less convinced of the point of the actual story.

A couple (Jodie Comer and Joel Fry) have a baby, just as the UK is in the early stages of an ecological crisis. Months of ongoing rainfall leave much of the country underwater and make the low-lying towns and cities uninhabitable. They travel north, to the home of the parents of Fry's character (Mark Strong and Nina Sosanya) but as the rain continues to fall, their supplies dwindle, and the population slowly begins to get desperate.

I'd say I appreciated the film, more than I actually liked it. It's dragged along by another virtuosa performance from Jodie Comer, who is in virtually every scene. She's ably supported by Fry though, who abandons his usual comedic turns for something altogether more haunted. The really strong supporting cast also include roles for Katherine Waterston, Gina McKee and a cameo from Benedict Cumberbatch. It's a very British version of this sort of story and the scenes of London devastation brought to mind "28 Days Later". You can tell how serious things are becoming when we won't form an orderly queue for emergency supplies.

I'm not really sure what it was in service of though. I feel like there must be a bigger theme that I'm missing, I suspect that it's perhaps loss and coping mechanisms, as we're told later in the film that Comer's characters parents recently passed away, and she's not really dealt with it. Generally, the story feels like a largely unconnected series of vignettes though and it was, for me, lacking some moment of ultimate revelation. I wonder if, in the book, it's easier to tie a connection between the commune's decision to abandon life as it was, in comparison to her decision to have a baby as way of dealing with her parents' death. Maybe I'm way off though.

So, lots to admire about this, but not a whole lot to love and I can't imagine that I'll ever see the need to watch it again.

Spoilers after first two paragraphs:

Filled with bunch of really nice scenes, including one of the best opening scenes, great use of sound and overall imagery, and Jodie Comer! Some scenes are shot so well, you can almost feel the dampness in the air.

Despite all this, the movie never quite picks up! It's a slow burning movie, which keeps promising but doesn't really deliver. It was great to see the post-apocalyptic world from the perspective of a new mother. There are some brilliant and even heart-wrenching scenes scattered around. However, the movie doesn't quite seem to tie together these bits and pieces.

Spoilers ahead.

Overall the narrative would appear to be leading somewhere, but before it reaches its peak, it peters out or is cut-short.

For example: the shelter section, things start building towards something, you see the progression, and then it is cut-short. Same pattern for the commune section, narrative is just starting to dip into what it is like to be there, but it cuts short again! Then a relatively quick and easy return to the main city (easier than one would think it'd be).

*Somethings which personally irked me*

(1) This is a post-apocalyptic world. People are practically killing each other for food. But there seems to be no issues for cigarette supply whatsoever! I'd think cigarettes would be treated like a currency in this damp, flooded, post-apocalyptic world.

(2) In all these absolute chaos, apparently the woman is carrying a lot of different onesies for the baby! Again, I'd assume that it is difficult to carry weight while they are walking/running for miles and they'd rather carry food/water than a lot of clothes. And we are also talking fresh, new and super clean onesies, different patterns each time! :p It somehow just takes the viewer out of the scene because it juts out so much!

*Climax*

This was the final nail for me! The husband magically appears in the end, perfectly healthy, and everything is well! ... ok! :p.