Brit thesp Jodie Comer has had quite the meteoric rise in all three mediums.
She splashed with her Emmy-winning role as Villanelle in the BBC thriller Killing Eve from 2018 to 2022. Prior to Eve, she had been featured in many UK TV shows. She also delivered a superb turn in Ridley Scott’s epic The Last Duel (2021), then took to the stage to shatter both West End and Broadway audiences in her Olivier and Tony-winner role, Suzie Miller, in the smash hit Prima Facie. Then, it’s back to TV for her BAFTA-winning performance in the pandemic set Help. Now, she stuns with her indie film, The End We Start From, which has already garnered her a British Independent Film Award nomination for Best Lead Performance.
All that and her upcoming film, The Bikeriders which had Oscar buzz until it was bounced to 2024 because of the Actor’s Strike. The Jeff Nichols-helmed work co-stars Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, Mike Faist, and Michael Shannon.
In The End We Start From, Jodie plays an unnamed woman who has just had a child and must contend with an environmental calamity that sees London and the surrounding areas submerged in water because of torrential rain causing mass flooding. People begin behaving badly (no surprise), and she is separated from her husband. Now, alone with a newborn, she must do everything she can to survive.
The film, based on Megan Hunter’s book, is a beautiful portrait of motherhood. Despite the dystopian elements, glimmers of hope prevail. Much of that has to do with Comer and her blend of humanity, confusion, and grit. It’s a lovely, nuanced performance.
The End We Start From opens in theaters in New York and Los Angeles on December 8, 2023, and nationwide January 19, 2024.
Awards Daily had the pleasure of vid-chatting with Jodie about the film (and other things).