The East - Review by Insomniac's Cinema

The East (2013) - Movie Review by Insomniac's Cinema

"The system is broken" - Sarah 

Director: Zal Batmanglij
Writers: Zal Batmanglij, Brit Marling
Starring: Brit Marling, Ellen Page, Alexander Skarsgård

The East is a thriller (directed by Zal Batmanglij) which follows an anarchist group (called The East) who target big corporations who commit crimes against the environment or people and get away without any punishment. Sarah, an ex FBI agent, works for a secret organisation who "protects" the types of companies
mentioned above. Sarah gets a new job to intersect The East and find out who they will target next. After she finally discovers the group, she starts to question her consumerist lifestyle as she spends more and more time with them, but with who does her allegiance really lie?

I was hoping so much that this would be good! It even fits fantastically with Zal Batmanglij and Brit Marling's previous colab, Sound of My Voice. I viewed The East as a make it or break it situation, something that would determine whether or not Batmanglij and Marling were as great as I thought they were and honestly I have to say that even though I had some problems with The East it (thankfully) reinforced my pre-existing ideas about the duo!   


One of the main things that makes the duo's movies so interesting to watch (to me, at least) is the fact that they always immerse themselves into the real-world versions of their films. During the filming of Sound of My Voice (a film about an underground cult) they actually went to numerous cults to get an idea of how they worked. The did the same for the filming of The East, Batmanglij and Marling visited anarchist groups and even undertook the freeganism lifestyle (yeah, the one where you get all your food from the trash...) While this might seem a bit extreme to some, I commemorate them for their commitment, I also think that it allows them to make the films seem much more "true".

While some people would say that, "THIS MOVIE IS ANARCHIST, LIBERAL, COMMIE-PROPAGANDA BULLSHIT!!!" you have to admit that the arguments posed in the film are valid and thought provoking. These things DO happen to real people by big corporations who never get into trouble. Think what you will about it's message, The East shows a very unique and controversial perspective using an entertaining story and interesting characters.


The characters and their relationships were portrayed very well. Throughout the film there are certain subtle things that they do or say, which might give you a better understanding of them and what they are feeling. Brit Marling was fantastic as Sarah, you can see how she slowly transforms from a Christian, Mcdonalds eating consumer to a freegan, anarchist. The rest of the group's characters were all unique, well acted and interesting (especially Ellen Page's Izzy). Some people would argue that there were characters who were "killed off" too quickly and served no purpose but to me it only added to the feeling of how people come and go in these types of groups and how others just completely change...

If you have seen either this or Sound of my Voice you will know that Batmanglij is great at making his characters interact with each other in really strange ways but still makes it seem very sincere and real. I think that even though this looks less "stylized" than Sound of my Voice there are still some fantastic and artful scenes and great transitions. Although the film doesn't make use of any real "pop songs" there are some classic instrumental pieces used for the soundtrack, the most memorable being Doc's Song, a beautifully depressing and short piano solo played by Doc on an old piano in the group's base.

This film really took me by surprise. I never expected it would make such an impression on me. From the beginning, to the end it kept me interested thanks to strong performances by the main characters, interesting interactions and a great story line. This was a great second attempt for Zal Batmanglij and made me even more exited for his (and Brit's) next project. 

All in all, The East is a definite see!

Rating: 8/10