Shadows on the Wall

The End

dir Joshua Oppenheimer
scr Rasmus Heisterberg, Joshua Oppenheimer
prd Joshua Oppenheimer, Tilda Swinton, Signe Byrge Sørensen
with Tilda Swinton, Michael Shannon, George MacKay, Moses Ingram, Bronagh Gallagher, Tim McInnerny, Lennie James, Danielle Ryan, Naomi O'Garro
release UK Oct.24 lff,
US 6.Dec.24
24/Denmark 2h28

TORONTO FILM FEST

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With striking visuals and audacious storytelling, documentarian Joshua Oppenheimer takes an offbeat step into narrative filmmaking. Not only is this a character-based post-apocalyptic epic, but it's also a full-on musical. While the songs are not particularly catchy, they are expressive, introspective and elegantly theatrical. This is a beautifully designed film packed with big ideas, so even if it feels both dense and far too long it's oddly involving.

It's been two decades since Earth's surface became inhospitable, and a wealthy couple (Swinton and Shannon) moved into a luxury home deep in a salt mine. Having grown up here, their son (MacKay) is well-educated but has only seen the world in paintings and photos. And the only other people he knows are a family friend (Gallagher), butler (McInnerny) and doctor (James). Then one day a young woman (Ingram) appears at their bunker, recounting stories about how she ended up lost and alone. Of course, her presence upsets the balance this family has carefully constructed.

Everything in this underground life has been designed around the son, whom his parents of course see as the future of humanity. His days involve studying, exercising, creating art, raising seafood in tanks and running emergency drills. The walls of their home resemble a museum. They drive through salty caverns and wade through water-filled tunnels. This underground world is remarkably realised, with an unusual attention to throwaway detail, especially as we begin to glimpse cracks in the brittle veneer.

Performances are understated and intriguing, as the strong cast adds earthy undertones and surprising textures to these unnamed characters. Each is terrific, all circling around MacKay's son, who is open-hearted and curious about the life he never got to have. Swinton and Shannon skilfully bring echoes of these parents' past lives into each scene. Ingram is terrific as the interloper who is trying not to be afraid as she enters what feels like an outrageous parallel reality.

"We trusted no one," they sing. "We have each other." Along the way, the script explores issues about colonialism, progress and isolationism, provoking thought by never offering easy answers to the most awkward questions about history. And while it feels overly pointed, and bogs down badly in meandering sections that swirl around feelings of love, the film is grounded in the characters' deeper emotions, which provide sometimes unexpected resonance.

themes, language, violence 31.Dec.24

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