Review of The East (2013) by Paula P — 28 Jan 2014

Up-and-coming, non-stereotypical indie darling Brit Marling - an Ivy League graduate and former Wall Street investment banker - co-wrote this tense independent flick alongside director Zal Batmanglij about splinter cells of eco-terrorists after she spent some time herself with a few groups wishing and hoping to create economic havoc on large corporations they've deemed destructive to earth.

Marling (Arbitrage, Another Earth) plays an undercover operative sent in to infiltrate a group of activists all brought up with silver spoons in their mouths who have grown to despise the "get rich no matter what" schemes of their parents who destroy wetlands or dump toxins into rural riverbeds or pillage forestlands no matter the cost to all other living beings (humans included) as long as the "few who matter" can reap large financial gains from the earth.

The East is a decent motion picture as it has quite a bit to say and point out although it struggles mightily when it tries to insert some (forced) romance into the plot that isn't necessary and actually takes away from the stronger, better parts of the story.

Marling's character oh-so-conveniently falls for the group's handsome ringleader (Alexander Skarsgard - 'True Blood', Disconnect) which is more distracting to the story than anything else as you cannot really buy the romance.

Ellen Page (Juno, Inception) co-stars as a hot-headed and impatient member of the terror cell with some major daddy issues and Patricia Clarkson (The Green Mile, High Art) plays Marling's corporate boss who feigns concern for the earth and its poisoned denizens but is actually more fond of her big paycheck she earns for looking the other way.

I'd venture to say the film is pretty accurate in what it uncovers as it never makes these individuals out to be heroes and what they do is sometimes just as appalling as the actions done by those they wish to defeat.

The film doesn't really have a moral compass - it just lets an audience know "these things happen!" Those who would take an interest in the flick are most likely already aware of the unscrupulous acts done by those in power - others would be deniers and are the corporate world's most favorite people on the planet.