Jeremy Thomas/ Canada 2007/ 108 min/ 18

Filmed on a very low budget, The End is a Canadian fantasy film, written, directed by and starring magician Jeremy Thomas, which presents an old fashioned detective story with a philosophical twist, a mysterious villain and much, much more.

When mild mannered high school teacher Joseph (Thomas) starts to see a masked figure lurking around his neighbourhood, he finds himself reliving the extraordinary events of 16 years before, when a premonition helped him save a young girl’s life. But as people start disappearing in strange circumstances, local detective Clara (Ella May) convinces him to help her with the investigation.

Thomas’ low budget existential drama contains elements of philosophy, psychology and comedy in order to question the notions of free will, reality and mental illness. Whilst the film does deal with some difficult themes, namely, kidnap and murder, The End manages to balance the educational with entertainment, as Thomas alludes to a number of scientific theories in order to make the subject matter more accessible. But it’s the film’s subject of losing control and your grip on reality that make this movie so unforgettable. Full of twists, turns and a number of gruesome moments, The End is an enchanting and unexpectedly funny cinematic gem that needs to be seen to be believed.

Showing @Filmhouse as part of FAB Fest.