Trailer for THE END:original post-apocalyptic movie musical starring Michael Shannon & Tilda Swinton

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 11/4/24 at 12:43pm

Co-written and directed by Joshua Oppenheimer, who previously directed the acclaimed documentaries The Act of Killing and The Look of Silence. Oppenheimer also co-wrote the songs with Joshua Schmidt (Adding Machine, A Minister's Wife, Midwestern Gothic).

This got some good reviews from the festival circuit, and I'll watch anything with Michael Shannon or Tilda Swinton, so I'm definitely in.

Updated On: 11/4/24 at 12:43 PM

[willep]

Posted: 11/4/24 at 12:48pm

I’m intrigued.

Updated On: 11/4/24 at 12:48 PM

[dramamama611]

Posted: 11/4/24 at 12:54pm

Was just coming here to post this!   It looks intriguing as hell!   

[ColdClimateDude]

Posted: 11/5/24 at 1:07pm

I caught this in Toronto at TIFF and found it challenging but ultimately thrilling. It's definitely not for everyone, but I thought it was incredibly intriguing, beautifully filmed, and performed with an open heart.

[uncageg]

Posted: 11/5/24 at 3:47pm

It is not scheduled yet for the two theaters near me. The trailer made me really want to see it.

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 11/11/24 at 9:58am

Interview with Joshua Oppenheimer: "The film feels at home in a way I hadn’t thought of."

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 12/12/24 at 9:36am

Soundtrack available to stream

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 2/1/26 at 10:58pm

I finally got around to watching this. It's audacious and challenging, and I kind of loved it. The pacing is a bit too methodical at times, but the characters were always engaging, and I really liked how their relationships ebbed and flowed rather than following the more expected post-apocalyptic narrative of a constant downward spiral. The performances are also fantastic across-the-board; Michael Shannon is one of my favorite actors, and this could be one of his best performances. 

The songs are all well-performed (Tilda Swinton in particular absolutely nails her big solo number), and there's real charm in how Oppenheimer choreographs dance numbers for characters who have never danced before.

It would require some finessing of the script and extending of the songs, but I could see this being adapted to the stage fairly successfully.

[Hey, Zelda!]

Posted: 2/2/26 at 6:42pm

KevinKlawitter said: "The songs are all well-performed (Tilda Swinton in particular absolutely nails her big solo number), and there's real charm in how Oppenheimer choreographs dance numbers for characters who have never danced before."

Or characters who arguably don't really lend themselves to song much.

Joshua "Adding Machine-slash-Minister's Wife" Schmidt's involvement is what got me in the door. Over a bed of lush Golden-Age-of-Hollywood strings, just about everyone sings from some half-strangled place in the back of their throat, such is their sense of denial for all they have wrought. 

Maybe not a tune you can hum, but it does get under your skin.

Updated On: 2/2/26 at 06:42 PM