The End We Start From ending explained: Why does Woman leave the commune?
Jodie Comer stars in the survival drama from director Mahalia Belo.
In The End We Start From – Mahalia Belo's survival drama which has just arrived in UK cinemas – Jodie Comer turns in a reliably excellent lead performance as a character identified in the credits only as Woman.
Based on the novel of the same name by Megan Hunter, the film follows events after she gives birth to her first child just as an ecological disaster is turning large swatches of the UK into a largely inhospitable environment.
Woman, her son Zeb and her husband R initially seek refuge at the middle-class home of the latter's parents, but as conditions rapidly worsen, their lives soon turn into a nightmarish battle for survival that sends them on a gruelling journey.
It's a slow and contemplative survival drama rather than a more high-octane disaster thriller, but it eventually builds towards a rewarding climax.
Read on for everything you need to know about how The End We Start From ends – bearing in mind that there are obviously major spoilers below.
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The End We Start From ending explained: Why does Woman leave the commune?
When the disaster begins, Woman and her family drive to R's family home, where they hope to hole up for the foreseeable future. But things soon go drastically wrong after R's mother is killed in an accident while desperately searching for supplies, and his father dies by suicide shortly afterwards, forcing them to seek shelter elsewhere.
Eventually, they find a shelter, but R – who is understandably very shaken up by the death of his parents – is not allowed access. Woman and Zeb take up residence, and she finds a friend in another young mother named O (Katherine Waterston) with whom she soon becomes close.
Unfortunately, it's not long before they must be on the move again, and after a long journey – which includes a night spent talking with a mysterious man played by Benedict Cumberbatch – Woman and O eventually arrive at a commune overseen by a woman who encourages them to adopt a new, sustainable way of life and forget their past.
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But Woman has a tough time putting her previous life behind her: we see various flashbacks that explain the origins of her romance with R, and she is scolded by the commune's leader for listening to a radio that provides updates about living conditions across the UK – which seem to be improving as the worst effects of the disaster subside.
After much consideration and an emotional goodbye to O, Woman decides to leave the commune and sets off to find her way back to London, which she manages to achieve by stealing a car that had been left unattended by a bickering couple.
Back in London – which is still severely flooded but no longer completely inhospitable – she makes her way back to her house. Although it is showing major signs of damage, it is clear that she and Zeb will be able to live there again – especially so when R arrives through the door and the family is reunited once again.
Woman's decision to leave the commune behind and reconnect with R is the key to the film, and was earlier teased in her conversation with Cumberbatch's character, who explained to her that he doesn't want to be cut off from reality and forget the past, which living in the commune would dictate.
It is important for them to remember their old lives and rebuild them, rather than simply cutting themselves off and starting from scratch. This insight, coupled with her fond memories of the love she shared with R, is what convinces Woman to leave the commune and return to London.
The End We Start From is now showing in UK cinemas. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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