True Blood has been television history for over a month now and principle photography on Alexander Skarsgard’s latest big (top secretly gaurded) project, Tarzan The Untamed ended on Friday. So it must be time for another chapter in our Skars-a-thon, and today we look to The East.
The What: Written by Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij, The East follows Jane (Marling), an operative for a private intelligence firm, who is assigned to an underground anarchist organization that has launched several attacks against corporations in an attempt to expose their corruption. Changing her name to Sarah and changing her appearance, she joins the group and begins to learn that each member has been personally affected by the actions of Corporate America.
The Who: Alex plays Benji, the charismatic leader of the group to whom Sarah/Jane becomes increasingly attracted. Brit Marling told reporters at the time of the movie’s release that they wanted Alex for the role after witnessing his amazing screen presence in True Blood.
The Why: Critics generally agreed that The East was an accomplished thriller.
“Tense, thoughtful, and deftly paced, The East is a political thriller that never loses sight of the human element.”
I would definitely say that it is a movie which gets better on second viewing. The cast, which also includes Patricia Clarkson and Ellen Page, are an enormously talented group. Alex’s role as Benji is central to the movie and his relationship with Sarah/Jane is probably the most interesting aspect. And wow (if we needed reminding) that boy can give us a great on-screen kiss to remember!
If I have one issue with The East, then it is probably that the ending seems a little rushed. However it certainly wouldn’t put me off checking out more of Brit Marling’s work (something else on my “things to do now True Blood is over” list).
You can buy The East on DVD.