Director: Zal Batmanglij.
Starring: Ellen Page, Patricia Clarkson, Alexander Skarsgård, Brit Marling.
Certificate: 15.
Running Time: 116 minutes.
Synopsis: Former FBI agent Sarah (Brit Marling) protects the names of big and powerful companies. Determined to bring down eco terrorist group THE EAST by infiltrating the small and close knit group, she finds herself relating more to them than she should.
THE EAST takes its protagonist and audience on an intense journey of conspiracy, guilt, confusion and love. The arrogant and uptight Sarah finds a secret terrorist group after weeks of searching, adapting her personality to get close to these insiders. After meeting their mysterious leader Benji (Alexander Skarsgard), she is tempted to see the group in a different light.
The emotional dilemmas experienced by the various characters bring great suspense to the film, which is brilliantly heightened without the use of excessive violence, gore or desensitising exploitation. Similar to Sarah, we struggle to decide which side is good, with Batmanglij effectively managing to bring forward the issues of morality, greed and retribution through both writing and direction.
The role of Izzy is written for the petite but passionate Ellen Page. Determined to teach a water-poisioning company a lesson, she may crumble emotionally, but never lacks conviction. Marling plays both enemy and hero as Sarah, creating an honest depiction of corporations that will have you either rummaging through your bins to avoid wasting food, or leave you wanting to join MI6.
The sexual tension in THE EAST is never misplaced, but enhances the unavoidable power struggles that unfold before us. Hard to categorise to one genre, it has been referred to as a thriller, but boasts strong dramatic scenes and suspenseful references to classic espionage films.
Batmanglij manages to present a highly political film without preaching, and leaves the audience facing difficult questions over what is truly important. A controversial tale posing uncomfortable questions packaged and served in a classic Hollywood gift box, it has the ability to shake the foundation on which we stand and the power to question our beliefs. Despite the controversial topic, Hollywood seems to have embraced THE EAST, and clearly its stars saw something in the script which had them commit to the no-excuse THE EAST, with their conviction for the film’s message bringing great performances.
THE EAST is released in UK cinemas today.
