It’s a thrilling, poignant accomplishment, as uncompromisingly bleak as it is epic in scope.
The East(De Oost)
✭ ✭ ✭ Read critic reviews
Netherlands · 2020
2h 17m
Director Jim Taihuttu
Starring Martijn Lakemeier, Marwan Kenzari, Jonas Smulders, Jim Deddes
Genre Drama, History, Thriller, War
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Set in 1946, The East follows a young Dutch soldier, Johan, who is deployed to Indonesia during the country's war for independence. Johan is seduced by the ruthless tactics of Army Captain Raymond Westerling, but gradually starts to question the terrors of the war.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
The New York Times by Beatrice Loayza
The details may be novel — even eye-opening for some — but this story of white guilt and brutality feels mighty old.
Austin Chronicle by Marc Savlov
The East is an unrelenting condemnation of the Netherlands’ misguided attempt to return its colonial outreach to a time long gone while hitting most (if not all) of the “doomed war” niche genre movie tropes without ever actually teetering into cliche. That’s an ever-tricky move that Taihuttu aces.
RogerEbert.com by Simon Abrams
The East is essentially divided into two halves, and neither is more illuminating than the other.
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