The East

Lizzi and I (Joe here!) recently had the opportunity to attend a Sundance showing of The East, starring Alexander Skarsgård, Brit Marling, and Ellen Page. No, we didn't hike cross-country to Utah staying in abandon buildings and eating discarded expired food. However, we did drive to Ann Arbor for a showing followed by a Q&A with director Zal Batmanglij and star Brit Marling. They both co-wrote the screenplay based in part on a summer they spent inspired by Buy Nothing Day. The summer involved trying to live without purchasing anything, staying with anarchist communites, and learning to train hop hobo style. Though events in the plot bear similarities to some real life events, the screenplay was written before those events happened.

The East follows a group of eco-terrorists and an infiltrator who is sent to preserve the interests of clients of a large security firm. The film has good pacing for the most part and kept me engaged throughout. As the story progresses, characters motivations are explained and alternately vilified and humanized. Several human moments that felt genuine but also several tense what's-going-to-happen-next moments. Despite the espionage plot, it feels much more character-driven then a blockbuster (which it certainly is not) and that is it's biggest strength.

Unfortunately, that's also my biggest complaint. We don't learn much about several characters and I felt like it didn't go as in-depth as it could have. Though I enjoyed the ending, I was left wondering about a lot.  There are two character story-lines that ended a bit too abruptly and unceremoniously for me as well.

Overall, I recommend seeing The East. Despite it's heavy subject matter, it doesn't come off as 'preachy' nor does it seem to condone most behaviors on one side or the other. The good cast and performances more than make up for a few shortcomings.