If you like very good movies that skillfully maneuver several genres then The East is for you. It stars Brit Marling as Sarah, Alexander Skasgard as Benji, Ellen Page as Izzy, Patricia Clarkson as Sharon, Toby Kebbel as Doc, and Silo Fernadez as Luca.
The movie opens with the group The East infiltrating a major company. A private intelligence firm representing the company attacked wants the East exposed and they send new agent Sarah Moss in to catch them. She goes and and as she gets in deeper, her views and loyalties are tested.
The East is a very good movie that skillfully maneuvers several genres, it is a suspense thriller with the strong character development usually found in a drama. What is impressive is that this is only the second movie for writer/star Marling and the other writer/ director Zal Batmanglij. Having not seen their first movie, Sound of My Voice, I cannot compare the quality of the two. I can say that the pair seems to like to create movies about people going into groups or cults and their views changing. If they can make more movies of this quality, they could become a new great team with several very good movies under their belt.
Back to the movie itself. The East is part thriller and part character study. The thriller part is well done with tension throughout as Marling’s character gets deeper in and cannot be caught. Like any good thriller, there are some twists and turns in the 3rd act that you might see parts of coming but are otherwise unexpected. Another thing that is done very well is that it is not black and white like The Reluctant Fundamentalist earlier this month. The script does not outright say who is good and who is bad, instead showing all of the sides of the story allowing you to your own conclusions on events and revelations.
The character study aspect is also well done. Sarah finds herself caught in the middle of the conflict as events progress and everything changes for her. It also shows the ideas of these groups which is interesting to view. The East is also an acting showcase for the 4 main performers.
The East is rated PG-13 for thematic elements, violence, some disturbing images, sexual content and partial nudity. I give The East an easterly B+.
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