Written by Edith Manfred. Photo by Ally Miller-Henson.
The 2024 musical “The End” tells the eerie story of a family isolated in a post-apocalyptic world. Directed by Joshua Oppenheimer, the entire story takes place in the unnamed family’s underground bunker, where they have lived for the past 25 years after an apparent oil plant crisis. The uninhabitable earth outside is in an environmental crisis, and the family has isolated themselves from the world by means of an underground haven. With Father, Mother, Son, friend, butler and doctor, the family is set to stay isolated for the rest of their lives, until an unknown woman from the outside world, Girl, manages to push into their bunker. Her forceful entry and mystique enchants Son, who consequently falls in love with her. This attraction turns his world upside down as Son begins questioning his life, the entire existence of which has been underground. Son pushes the limits his parents have placed on his life and begins uncovering his parents’ secrets.
The themes of guilt and isolation go hand in hand throughout the story, as later in the film the viewer learns more about why the family is in hiding and the negative role that Father played in the environmental crisis. This guilt is explored more as Mother realizes that her family is presumably dead and she chose not to save them. Girl plays a part in the growing guilt as she is open about how her family died above ground and what she regrets not doing to try to save them. Within that guilt the characters have a growing disdain for each other and what brought them down so far into the earth. All of them express feelings of bewilderment and regret about their current situation in life, as well as a helplessness against the outside world. By the end of the story, the family becomes more open about their emotions, but there is little resolution. Despite the intriguing apocalyptic context, the story focuses almost entirely on the characters and their personal lives, leaving the viewer still curious by the end as to what is happening in the world around them.
If there were two words to describe the setting of this film, they would be “grandiose emptiness.” With the entire story taking place underground, the film is fully lit by artificial lighting which creates an eerie, sterile feeling. Color is also used in a very intentional way as cool tones tell the story of isolation and sadness, then warmer tones are used more later in the story when Son is falling in love. The family’s house is primarily painted in cool tones, they dress in cool tones, and the underground caves are all made of a grey-blue salt. Girl wears warmer colors and introduces reds and pinks into the set.
Despite the bleak setting, romance is not lost on the two youngest characters of Son and Girl as they meet and grow together. The film sees them go from strangers to partners as Girl is saved and Son meets a new person for the first time in his life. As sweet and good natured as this romance is, it has a melancholy air about it given how inexperienced Son is with meeting new people. It begs the question: is it love, or did he just meet a new person his age for the first time?
From the outside, this story may seem far too apocalyptic to be staged as a musical, but surprisingly the musicality of it actually uplifts the characters’ intimate emotions. It’s apparent that despite how few characters there are, they are all very emotionally closed off from one another. In this way, the music helps the viewer to understand each character individually on a deeper level than is possible through interpersonal interactions. The many music numbers help bring some levity to the dark world and give the characters room to express themselves outside of the story. In the same way, the cinematography gives energy to an otherwise desolate setting through the work of cinematographer Mikhail Krichman.
SCAD film student and cinematographer Carlotta Walser had the opportunity of working on the set during its filming in Germany in 2023. As a camera trainee, she worked on the technical aspects of setting up monitors, keeping track of the footage and much more. As Walser’s first international production experience, she got to work not only with award-winning director Joshua Oppenheimer, but also a notorious crew of cinematographers and crew who became mentors for her. Having this experience before her current film pursuits at SCAD, Walser learned many important lessons during filming. She says, “One of the biggest lessons I learned from Paul Günther, 2nd AC, was that organization is key. Keeping all the equipment organized allowed for quick adjustments whenever needed. Another crucial lesson was learning to adapt to the pace of a set, which has impacted my work rhythm here at SCAD.”
In a full circle moment, Walser watched the film for the first time at this year’s film festival during its screening on October 27 at the SCAD Museum of Art. Her experience watching the film she worked on was exhilarating, saying “recognizing the locations we filmed at and understanding how each scene was captured, then seeing the final results, was incredibly fascinating. It added a whole new layer of appreciation for the process and the artistry involved.”
In all, setting, cinematography, music and characters combine to breathe life into a story about isolation and family ties.
Edith is a Documentary Photography major with a minor in Art History, as well as a part of Cross Country and Track & Field teams. Outside of writing and taking photos for District, you’ll probably find her running long distances on the streets of Savannah, updating her blog, or talking about that new podcast she just listened to… again.
