TIFF 2023: The End We Start From Review

This will be one of many reviews during this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.

The End We Start From is a bit of a mixed bag that will likely be appreciated more than it’s actually enjoyed by most audiences. After a new mother (Comer), her partner (Fry) and their infant child are forced out of London by cataclysmic flooding, they make their way to his parent’s home in the countryside, only to find the situation growing increasingly desperate there, as well. While the film is well-made and Comer gives it her all, it is ultimately a bit of a boring and uneventful watch that suffers from some dreadful pacing.

Though many will likely find the film very effective, and powerful, it is just way too slow, drawn out despite not being very long to begin with, and its sluggish pacing doesn’t do it any favors, resulting in a challenging watch that just feels empty and difficult to get emotionally attached to anything. Meanwhile, the film also features several flashbacks throughout to provide context and backstory. However, they ultimately don’t serve much of a purpose and seemingly only serve to pad out the runtime.

While The End We Start From has a pretty stacked supporting cast, outside of Katherine Waterston and to an extent Joel Fry, none are given really anything to do. Mark Strong and Benedict Cumberbatch are both members of the cast, and are great when they are on-screen. That being said, they are cast in throwaway roles and given virtually nothing to do. Admittedly not their story, it almost becomes distracting when they pop up only for a few brief moments only to then disappear. Had their scenes been more impactful, then this may have been a different story.

That being said, the only saving grace is Jodie Comer’s remarkable lead performance. Her character is easily the most compelling to watch as she sells all her various hardships in a real way that elicits enough of an emotional connection to make viewers invested in her outcome. Waterston is a major highlight, appearing during the film’s peaks and generating most of its emotion. While not without its hard-hitting moments, the majority of the film will just leave audiences cold.

In the end, there will inevitably be a large portion of audiences who will respond to The End We Start From and be quite affected by it. Therefore, it is definitely worth seeking out for anyone who feels like it would be up their alley. However, the film may be well shot and scored and Comer is certainly remarkable as the lead but it simply just didn’t work while moving at too slow a pace to be engaging or stand out in any way.

*still courtesy of TIFF*

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Connor Carey

www.connorsmoviereviews.com/