Description:
Sound of My Voice, the first writing collaboration between director Zal Batmanglij and actress Brit Marling, was a terrific calling card: a taut story about cult dynamics, with unsettling sci-fi elements burbling up throughout. The East, the duo's bigger-budgeted follow-up, may be anchored more firmly in the real world, but that intriguing sense of ambiguity remains. While the basic premise about the seductions of working undercover may seem familiar, the filmmakers' commitment to their uncertainty principles keeps it fresh. Marling stars as a former FBI infiltration specialist now working for a private intelligence firm. For h
Sound of My Voice, the first writing collaboration between director Zal Batmanglij and actress Brit Marling, was a terrific calling card: a taut story about cult dynamics, with unsettling sci-fi elements burbling up throughout. The East, the duo's bigger-budgeted follow-up, may be anchored more firmly in the real world, but that intriguing sense of ambiguity remains. While the basic premise about the seductions of working undercover may seem familiar, the filmmakers' commitment to their uncertainty principles keeps it fresh. Marling stars as a former FBI infiltration specialist now working for a private intelligence firm. For her first assignment, she begins following The East, a shadowy cell of eco-terrorists known for their ingenious methods of attack against Big Business. As she draws closer to the leader of the group (Alexander Skarsgård), her mission becomes increasingly murky. The director and star both spent time with real anti-consumer activists before writing the script, and their prep work definitely shows in the finished product, with an attention to detail that makes even the most outlandish elements (the group's interpretation of dressing for dinner is gratifyingly weird) feel lived-in and real. The film's thoughtfulness also comes through in the performances, with Marling's subtly conflicted central character ably backed by folks such as Skarsgård, Patricia Clarkson, and especially Ellen Page, as the team's most volatile member. Their collective effort ensures that this combination of conspiracy thriller and real-world concerns will keep the viewer's loyalties shifting, through the end credits and after. --Andrew Wright
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Manufacturer: Fox Searchlight
Release date: 17 September 2013
EAN: 0024543831730 UPC: 024543831730
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