The East (2013 film)
| The East | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Zal Batmanglij |
| Written by | Zal Batmanglij Brit Marling |
| Produced by | Ridley Scott Michael Costigan Jocelyn Hayes-Simpson Brit Marling |
| Starring | Brit Marling Alexander Skarsgård Ellen Page |
| Cinematography | Roman Vasyanov |
| Edited by | Andrew Weisblum Bill Pankow |
| Music by | Halli Cauthery (themes by Harry Gregson-Williams) |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Fox Searchlight Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 116 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $6.5 million |
The East is a 2013 drama film directed by Zal Batmanglij and starring Brit Marling, Alexander Skarsgård, and Ellen Page. Batmanglij and Marling spent two months in 2009 practicing freeganism and co-wrote a screenplay based on their experiences and drawing on thriller films. The East was filmed in two months in Shreveport, Louisiana at the end of 2011. The film premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2013.
Synopsis
Sarah Moss is an operative for a private intelligence firm called Hiller-Brood that is hired by corporations to protect their interests. She is sent to infiltrate an anarchist collective known as The East that has executed attacks on corporations. While she lives among them, she finds herself falling for the group's charismatic leader.[1]
Cast
- Brit Marling as Sarah Moss
- Alexander Skarsgård as Benji
- Ellen Page as Izzy
- Toby Kebbell as Doc
- Shiloh Fernandez as Luca
- Julia Ormond as Paige Williams
- Patricia Clarkson as Sharon
Production
The East is directed by Zal Batmanglij. He co-wrote the screenplay with Brit Marling, who also stars in the film. Following the 2011 Sundance Film Festival in January, Fox Searchlight Pictures acquired distribution rights for Sound of My Voice (directed by Batmanglij and starring Marling) and Another Earth (also starring Marling). In the process, the distributor greenlighted production of The East.[2] By September 2011, Marling and Alexander Skarsgård were cast in the starring roles. Felicity Jones was attached to play Izzy, but she dropped out to promote Like Crazy. Jones was replaced by Ellen Page in the following September.[3] In October, Patricia Clarkson and Shiloh Fernandez joined the cast.[4][5]
Batmanglij and Marling were inspired by the concept of Buy Nothing Day, an international day of protest against consumerism, and decided to experience a Buy Nothing summer.[6] They spent two months with proponents of freeganism, which is a practice of "[eating] discarded food in their pursuit of a moneyless existence". Marling said, "We wanted to have some adventure, and we didn't have any money. We learned to hop trains, we learned to sleep on rooftops, we learned to claim the space that feels so private. We joined this anarchist collective."[7] The pair drew from their real-life experiences as well as the spy thriller genre. like to craft the story,[6] which was written before they began filming Sound of My Voice.[8] Filming took place in Shreveport, Louisiana for two months,[7] from mid-October 2012 to the following December.[9]
Reception
The East premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2013. Variety's Justin Chang reviewed the film, "This clever, involving spy drama builds to a terrific level of intrigue before losing some steam in its second half." He noted "the appreciable growth in filmmaking confidence".[10] John Defore, writing for The Hollywood Reporter, described The East as "a social-conscience espionage film that has actually thought about its 'eco-terrorism' themes beyond figuring out how to mine them for suspense". He said, "Batmanglij balances emotional tension with practical danger nicely, a must in a story whose activist protagonists can make no distinction between the personal and the political."[11]
See also
- Sound of My Voice, Zal Batmanglij's 2011 feature film debut
References
- ^ "The East". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved January 24, 2013.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ Debruge, Peter (October 31, 2011). "Brit Marling: Self-taught talent brings experience to 'Earth'". Variety.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Sneider, Jeff (September 30, 2011). "Page eyes a trip 'East'". Variety.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Sneider, Jeff (October 12, 2011). "Clarkson's headed 'East'". Variety.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Kroll, Justin (October 28, 2011). "Fernandez heads 'East'". Variety.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b Hogan, Michael (January 22, 2013). "Brit Marling, 'The East' Star And Co-Writer, Spent A Summer Eating From Dumpsters". The Huffington Post.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b Puig, Claudia (January 22, 2013). "Eco-thriller 'The East' maps out complex morality issues". USA Today.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Chang, Kee (April 26, 2012). "Q&A with Zal Batmanglij". Anthem Magazine. Retrieved January 24, 2013.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ Kaufman, Anthony (January 6, 2012). "10 Directors to Watch: Zal Batmanglij". Variety.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Chang, Justin (January 20, 2013). "Film Reviews: The East". Variety. Archived from the original on January 23, 2013.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|date=and|archivedate=(help) - ^ DeFore, John (January 21, 2013). "The East: Sundance Review". The Hollywood Reporter.
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