The East

The East is about a profound subject--moral obligations to one's self and to the community--but it is built on a rickety structure, Directed by Zal Batmanglij, and co-written by him and its star Brit Marling, The East is about eco-terrorism, and if it doesn't favor terrorist tactics, it does come down firmly in favor of activism and the greater good.

Marling plays a former FBI agent who now works for a private intelligence company. She goes deep undercover to infiltrate the title group, eco-terrorists who perpetrate what they call "jams," which have a theme to them--they give their victims a taste of their own medicine. They start by pouring crude oil into the home of an energy company's CEO whose company had a BP-type spill. Later, they will squirt a deadly antibiotic into the drinks of the hot-shots of a pharmaceutical company. They don't purposefully hurt anyone, but of course there are repercussions.

The group is a small, ragtag bunch led by Alexander Skarsgard, who we first see sporting Christ-like locks and beard. Another member is Ellen Page as an angry young woman who has a special reason for hating corporate polluters. A third is a doctor (Toby Kebbell) who was personally affected by the antibiotic (I know someone who became seriously ill after taking the antibiotic Leviquin, so this hit home).

It's easy to take the side of anti-corporate Robin Hoods, but the group Marling has infiltrated is an odd bunch, favoring holier-than-thou rituals like eating while wearing straitjackets, or playing a kind of group therapy version of Spin the Bottle. They also seem a little disorganized to be pulling off the things they do--maybe they all owe it to a woman who keeps their Internet presence hidden. They aren't difficult to find, though, and it's unclear what Marling is collecting--evidence? Information? To what purpose? She is not a law enforcement official.

Of course, since this is a movie, Marling will start to sympathize with the group, especially Skarsgard, who is pretty hunky. The end of the film gives her a choice and is very suspenseful, and fulfills the rule for endings--it is not predictable, but inevitable.

Marling has written a few films that she's also starred in, and I find it interesting that she was chosen to star in this film. Frankly, she's not a very dynamic actress. Maybe it's to save money. It would have been interesting to see Page in the role (though she's too young). As such, Marling's character is like the hole in a donut, with everything interesting around her.

The East is a good film, but lacks a certain internal logic and a powerful lead performance to make it great.