TIFF Review: A Musical Apocalypse from Joshua Oppenheimer in ‘The End’

The end of the world may not look like the post-apocalyptic landscape science fiction stories have regularly predicted. Or it very well may, but those lucky enough to have had means and the opportunity to prepare won’t know for sure since they’re protected in their safe environment impermeable to outside forces seeking to take what they can from them. Joshua Oppenheimer’s truly unexpected narrative feature debut presents a strange but fascinating view of the state of one family years after descending into a secured bunker where they have only each other to blame for the decisions they’ve made and the fate of what remains of humanity.

Given no names other than their assigned roles in the family unit, Son (George MacKay) is a studious and intelligent young man who eats up the knowledge served to him by Father (Michael Shannon) and helps the eccentric Mother (Tilda Swinton) to decorate the walls with paintings and other pursuits. They live alongside Mother’s Friend (Branagh Gallagher), Butler (Tim McInnerny), and Doctor (Lennie James) in a salt mine where they haven’t come into contact with anyone for two decades. When Girl (Moses Ingram) arrives, the lone survivor from her family, there is debate about what to do since they had always agreed never to trust anyone, but they decide to allow her to remain with them. Her presence, which feels different because she’s spent more time recently in what’s left of the real world, gradually changes the way this family interacts and particularly how Son digests the information fed to him by his parents.

This is in no way the film that audiences might think two-time Oscar nominated documentary filmmaker Oppenheimer would make after The Act of Killing and The Look of Silence. Those meditative nonfiction films had little cinematic flair, rightfully so, and sought deep, truthful conversations with the perpetrators of horrific violence. This sci-fi drama features plenty of comedy and even a handful of musical numbers, blending genres in a startling way that indicates a levity and creativity that looks nothing like Oppenheimer’s important and disturbing nonfiction films. A filmmaker shouldn’t be trapped and forced to work within just one type of cinema, and his success with his early projects has clearly enabled him the necessary access and support to make a passion project that utilizes an entirely separate set of skills. 

What results from Oppenheimer’s ambitious efforts is a combination of things that don’t necessarily go together. The songs feel out of place and somewhat jarring, but they do allow characters to express themselves in ways they’re not able to in conversation with their eternal housemates. There’s nothing whatsoever seen of the outside world, so the universe for Son, the only one with no memories of anything but the bunker, is only as big as the stories he’s been told. That’s where this film proves most intriguing, though it doesn’t get to any true answers, as Son begins to realize that Father’s bold tales of everything he did to help the world may not be rooted in accuracy and instead cover for the harm that he caused that led to everyone else dead with just him and his family safely secured in a place with seemingly endless resources.

Being more than one thing means that this film will appeal to a wide variety of audiences, some of whom may be satisfied with a film that’s unapologetically strange, like the character played by Swinton, who always seems to find just the part that fits her better than it possibly could anyone else. She taps into Mother’s frazzled nature, which is only exacerbated by unresolved trauma from before the bunker. James is prickly and often unkind as Doctor, calling into question what his relationship with this family was like in normal times. Shannon is focused and fascinating, while MacKay and Ingram continue to seek out challenging and rewarding roles. There’s so much going on in this robust, 148-minute film, and while at times it feels overstuffed and simultaneously headed nowhere fast, there’s a great deal to unpack by the time the credits finally roll.

Movie Rating: 6/10

Awards Buzz: Oppenheimer isn’t likely to have the same Oscar luck with this film as with his documentaries, but it could attract some attention from other awards bodies, especially if its US distributor NEON campaigns for it.