The End Christian Review
The End isn’t the kind of movie you watch lightly. It sneaks up on you, gets under your skin, and demands you wrestle with it long after the credits roll. Joshua Oppenheimer, a director known for tackling the unspoken, doesn’t just invite you into a story—he traps you inside it, giving you no choice but to think about what you would do, how you’d feel, and what your faith has to say about it all. This isn’t your usual popcorn flick. It’s a daring blend of apocalyptic drama, heart-wrenching family dynamics, and, of all things, an old-school musical, complete with songs that make you cringe, laugh, and maybe even cry.
But let’s not kid ourselves. This film is ambitious—sometimes too much for its own good—and Christians will likely find themselves torn between appreciating its moral explorations and wondering if it misses the mark in other areas. So, let’s dig in. What does The End say to a believer? How does it challenge, comfort, or confuse?
What If It Really Is the End?
The heart of The End is a question that feels disturbingly relevant: what happens when the world we know is teetering on collapse, and the people who could have stopped it didn’t? It’s not subtle. Oppenheimer doesn’t sugarcoat the human capacity for avoidance, nor does he let anyone off the hook. The film lays bare the weight of guilt, the paralysis of denial, and the cognitive dissonance we carry every day as we scroll past headlines about wars, climate change, and crises too big to comprehend.
For a Christian, this strikes uncomfortably close to home. We’re called to be stewards of the earth (Genesis 2:15), to love our neighbors (Matthew 22:39), and to act justly (Micah 6:8). And yet, how often do we choose convenience over conviction? Watching The End, I found myself squirming—not because the film preached at me, but because it didn’t have to. The mirror it held up was enough.
A Moral Tightrope: Kindness vs. Complicity
One of the film’s most fascinating—and frustrating—qualities is its moral ambivalence. It dances on a razor-thin line between kindness and complicity, forcing viewers to ask: where does grace end and enabling begin? The characters in The End aren’t heroes. They’re flawed, scared, and often selfish, but aren’t we all? There’s a certain honesty in how the story portrays them, but it’s also unsettling. At times, the film seems almost too forgiving, letting its characters off the hook in ways that feel unearned.
As Christians, this is tricky territory. We believe in grace—unmerited, overflowing, and scandalously generous. But grace doesn’t mean ignoring sin or shirking responsibility. The Bible is clear: “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:26). Oppenheimer’s characters wrestle with their guilt, but do they ever truly repent? Or is their remorse just another form of self-pity? It’s a question the film leaves hanging, and maybe that’s the point.
A Musical for the End Times
Now, let’s talk about the elephant in the room: this movie is a musical. Yes, a musical. Songs break out in the middle of apocalyptic despair, and somehow, it works—or at least, it almost does. There’s a surreal, almost absurdist quality to the music, like the characters are clinging to these songs as the last thread of normalcy in a collapsing world. It’s ridiculous. It’s poignant. It’s… a little much at times.
For Christians, the idea of singing in the face of doom isn’t as strange as it might seem. Paul and Silas sang hymns in prison (Acts 16:25). The psalms are filled with cries of lament and praise, often in the same breath. There’s something profoundly human—and profoundly faithful—about choosing to sing when everything around you is falling apart. But The End doesn’t frame its songs as prayers or acts of hope. Instead, they feel more like a coping mechanism, a desperate attempt to hold the chaos at bay. It’s moving, yes, but also hollow. You’re left wondering what these characters are holding onto, and whether it’s enough.
Performances That Hit Home
Whatever you think of the film’s style, there’s no denying the power of its performances. George MacKay delivers a masterclass in repressed emotion, his every movement charged with a tension that feels ready to explode. And Lydia Ingram? Her portrayal of a woman caught between gratitude and suspicion is nothing short of mesmerizing. These aren’t characters you root for, exactly, but you feel for them. You see their pain, their fear, their humanity.
As Christians, we know that every person—no matter how flawed—is made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). That truth comes through in these performances, even when the characters’ choices make you want to scream. They’re broken, yes, but so are we. And if God’s grace can cover us, maybe it can cover them too.
Too Much or Just Enough?
Here’s the thing about The End: it’s a lot. The ambition, the themes, the aesthetic—it’s all turned up to eleven. At times, it feels like Oppenheimer is trying to do too much, like he’s throwing every idea he’s ever had at the screen and hoping something sticks. And yet, there’s something admirable about that. In a world where so many movies play it safe, The End takes risks. It swings for the fences, even if it doesn’t always connect.
For Christians, this overreach might feel both exhilarating and frustrating. The film asks big questions about guilt, responsibility, and the end of the world, but it doesn’t offer many answers. That’s where faith comes in. As believers, we know that the ultimate answers to these questions aren’t found in art or philosophy, but in the person of Jesus Christ. He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). The End doesn’t point to that truth directly, but it opens the door for conversations that might.
What Does It Mean for Us?
At its core, The End isn’t just about the end of the world. It’s about us—our choices, our compromises, our capacity for both kindness and cruelty. It forces us to look in the mirror and ask, “What am I doing? What should I be doing?” For Christians, these questions aren’t abstract. They’re rooted in Scripture, in the call to be salt and light in a broken world (Matthew 5:13-16).
But the film doesn’t leave you with easy answers. It’s messy, just like life. It reminds us that living faithfully isn’t about being perfect—it’s about showing up, making mistakes, and trying again. And maybe, just maybe, it’s about singing in the dark, even when you’re not sure anyone is listening.
Final Thoughts
The End isn’t a film for everyone. Its ambition can be overwhelming, its moral ambiguity unsettling, and its musical elements downright bizarre. But for those willing to engage with it, there’s a lot to unpack. It’s a film that asks big questions without offering easy answers, and in doing so, it mirrors the complexities of faith and life.
As a Christian, I walked away both challenged and conflicted. The film didn’t give me the clarity I wanted, but it gave me something just as valuable: a reason to think, to pray, and to reflect on what it means to live faithfully in a world that feels like it’s ending. Isn’t that worth something? Maybe even a song?
