The End (TIFF) Review: Michael Shannon & Tilda Swinton In A Post-Apocalyptic Musical?

A musical look at the apocalypse, led by a singing and dancing Tilda Swinton and Michael Shannon. Sure to be divisive.

PLOT: Many years after an apocalyptic event they may have contributed to, a wealthy family survives in a luxurious underground fortress. 

REVIEW: One of the best things about attending a festival like TIFF is that you often walk into movies without preconceived notions. Films playing at the festival are so new that they barely have any stills available, much less any trailers, so you walk into them pretty much blind. The downside is that, once in a while, you end up seeing a movie that sounds intriguing, but pretty much right off the bat, once you see a few minutes of it, you’re hit by a sinking feeling that, “oh no, this might not be for me.”

Indeed, The End wasn’t for me. While I’m a sucker for movies about the apocalypse, and the premise (and dream cast) are intriguing, documentarian Joshua Oppenheimer’s narrative debut is a slog to get through. In it, Michael Shannon and Tilda Swinton play the patriarch and matriarch of a fabulously wealthy family, who wait out what looks like another ice age in a sprawling underground fortress. They’re joined by their naive son (George McKay), who’s never been out of the bunker, their surly doctor (Lennie James), a friend and chef (Bronagh Gallagher) and their valet (Tim McInnerny). 

While there’s undoubtedly a pecking order, all seem to be relatively content within the fortress, with “father” (no one has names), as played by Shannon, being a somewhat benevolent ruler, even though it’s implied that he played a significant role at the end of human civilization. Mother, as played by Tilda Swinton, is more of a liability, with her increasingly unhinged and obsessive over both her imagined life before the disaster (which she’s made up), the vast collection of art she’s amassed, and her son, who she keeps in a state of arrested development. Still, everyone goes along with it.

The status quo is shaken when a young woman (Moses Ingram from Obi-Wan Kenobi) seeks shelter. Everyone except Mother is eager to let her in. While she means well and legitimately tries to fit in, her presence significantly upsets the delicate social pecking order within their bubble when she and McKay’s character fall in love.

None of this sounds like it lends itself to a musical, does it? In Oppenheimer’s biggest swing, the film is a full-blown musical, with songs by Joshua Schmidt and Marius de Vries. If you’ve seen any of Oppenheimer’s documentaries, such as The Act of Killing, you’ll know that his films defy convention, which is the case with The End. It’s the kind of bold movie that will undoubtedly earn a cult audience when distributor Neon puts it out, but it can’t be denied that it’s a love-it-or-hate-it kind of film.

For the most part, The End just wasn’t for me; it wasn’t just the music. The 150-minute running time is punishing, and the performances (particularly by Swinton) are so over the top that you’ll resent spending two and a half hours with these people. Of everyone, Moses Ingram, playing the most “normal” character, is the least grating, although Shannon has his moments (he sings pretty well- as shown in the underrated George & Tammy). This is especially true when he acts opposite his manservant, as played by Tim McInnerny, who has one rather touching musical interlude but is used too sparingly. 

The fact is, Oppenheimer likely made exactly the film he wanted to make, and as much as I didn’t care for it, I have no doubt it will have some appreciative audience at some point. Indeed, it’s beautifully shot, and the production design is awe-inspiring. But I’d wager the vast majority of folks reading this will find it something of a slog, even if it has a handful of legitimately great moments.