Thursday, November 7, 2013
The East (2013)
Cast: Brit Marling, Alexander Skarsgard, Ellen Page, and Patricia
Clarkson
Director: Zal Batmanglij
Synopsis: Brit Marling stars as Jane, an undercover
operative agent for a private intelligence firm, who is assigned to infiltrate
an anarchist group known as the East. The more Jane associates with the group,
however, her motivations being to change as she befriends them and develops
romantic feelings for the group’s alluring leader, Benji.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4/5 reels
Review:
Director
Zal Batmanglij co-wrote The East with
star Brit Marling, basing the film on inspirations of crime thriller films and
their own experience with freeganism, the practice of eating food that has been
discarded in trash bins.
Brit
plays former FBI agent Jane Owens, who is assigned by Sharon (Patricia
Clarkson), the head of Hiller Brood, to become part of a covert, anarchist
group called the East. The East is known to combat eco-terrorism by targeting
corporations they understand to be perpetrators of such offenses. Going by the
name Sarah Moss, Jane is able to connect to members of the East and develops a
fondness for Benji, the group’s sensitive yet enthralling leader, played by
Alexander Skargard. Benji and the rest of the group (Ellen Page, Toby Kebbell,
and Shiloh Fernandez) perform “jams,” or missions, in which they vigilantly
perform justice.
Batmanglij
excellently propelled the story forward, establishing Jane’s moral and
law-abiding character initially so that a clear character arch is depicted from
start to finish. There were moments when the pace picked up quickly, allowing
the adrenaline rush to kick in before moving on to the next act. Marling’s
performance was fantastic. She understood her character and portrayed her
insecurities, moral questionings, and internal conflicts in a way that was understood.
The rest of the cast—Skarsgard, Page, and Clarkson—also gave powerful
performances, fulfilling strong supporting roles.
Even
though the film addresses political and ethical issues in regards to waste and
the environment, it did not come across as explicitly biased. Batmanglij and
Marling wrote a thought provoking story, allowing room for the reader to
examine the way they waste or how they can be better stewards of the earth.
The East is very entertaining, but it is a film in
which the viewer needs to pay attention in order to not miss key plot points.
Overall, the film had a nice pace up until the latter half, in which it lost
some steam. However, even with the minor setbacks, The East
was engaging, clever, and different—a crime thriller that can be certainly
appreciated for its originality.
By
Sofia Tongson
