The End We Start From review: Terrific cast elevate climate disaster tale

New parenthood is tough enough without throwing in the end of the world. That is, essentially, what we’re seeing in Mahalia Belo and Alice Birch’s thoughtful, intelligent survival thriller, The End We Start From.

We begin with a pregnant woman whose waters break just as London starts to flood. Unfortunate timing, and after the baby arrives, mum (Jodie Comer, excellent) and dad (Joel Fry, likewise) head for his parents’ house in the hills.

The capital is underwater and society is crumbling – thankfully, granny and grandad (Nina Sosanya, Mark Strong) remembered to stock the pantry. They’ll be fine for a while, but this isn’t a temporary crisis, and when food eventually runs out, the family is forced to split up and seek out supplies. That might not end well.

Based on a novel by Megan Hunter, The End We Start From works as both a chilling cli-fi disaster tale and a heavy-handed metaphor for the extraordinary pressures of motherhood. Quite a combo, and Belo’s film occasionally loses focus. But there is good work in here, and a terrific cast too (Katherine Waterston and co-producer Benedict Cumberbatch lend a hand). Get on it.

Three stars