THE END: TRAILER
In this wild apocalyptic musical, a wealthy family lives in a bunker following the end of the world. But their lives are thrown into uncertainty when a visitor appears. This is the unforgettable 1st trailer for The End.
Two decades after the world ends, a wealthy family survives in a bunker. Son (George MacKay) is kind and trusting, while Mother (Tilda Swinton) and Father (Michael Shannon) are haughty and overprotective. One day, a young woman (Moses Ingram) somehow appears in the bunker, to Mother and Father’s shock.
As Woman and Son grow closer, her arrival threatens to destroy the fragile peace of the family. And as Son finally begins to question Mother and Father’s stories of the world he could barely remember, he will soon realize that everything he once believed was a lie.
Told in spectacular musical fashion, this big-screen story features original songs performed live by the lead actors.
Every now and then, a studio takes a swing on a filmmaker’s uncompromised vision. And, good or bad, the results are often something never seen before. And this is what Neon has found in director Joshua Oppenheimer’s The End. While post-apocalyptic upper-class society has been explored through the lens of satire and comedy, I’ve never seen anything like this. Tonally, the film feels almost sinister, and the musical interludes feel like they aid the tone rather than detract (ex: Joker Folie à Deux), genuinely feeling like this bubble of society has grown separately from the rest of the world.
There’s a dreamy theatrical sense to the film, aided by the phenomenal set & costume design. The Oscars may as well close those two categories early, as The End’s mise-en-scène is truly incredible. George MacKay plays the innocent puppy-dog character to perfection, but never delves too far into caricature. Often, sheltered protagonists feel childlike or delusional, but MacKay grounds his performance with a more realistic pathos. Shannon and Swinton play the creepy parents to perfection, switching between tenderness and paranoia on a dime.
Visually, emotionally, and musically The End’s first trailer is firing on all senses. Despite wanting to maintain a quiet and character-driven sensibility, there’s a visual grandness to the film that makes it a big-screen experience through and through. If Neon can stick the landing, The End has potential to be a breakout indie hit and a generational film of 2024.
Directed by Joshua Oppenheimer, The End released theatrically in the US on December 6, 2024.
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