The East

Having collaborated on the 2011 psychological drama Sound of My Voice, director Zal Batmanglij and his co-writer/star Brit Marling reteamed for this tale of eco-espionage. "The East" is a mysterious eco-collective that specialises in causing "jams", spectacular actions against international conglomerates and other enemies of the environment. Sarah (Marling) is a private investigator hired to infiltrate the group, but her loyalties shift dangerously in their direction and she finds herself particularly drawn to Benji (Alexander Skarsgård), for more than his radical politics. The love story feels a bit forced, but otherwise it's an intelligent examination of the dangers of both fanaticism and espionage and, appropriately enough for a film produced by Ridley Scott, it's tightly edited and looks fantastic.