Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- sultry
- feverish
- oppressive
- serious movie night
- historical cinema discussion
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film’s atmosphere, performances, and willingness to confront a sensitive chapter of Dutch colonial history, while finding its dialogue and latter-half development uneven.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Johan’s recruitment into a Dutch elite squad foregrounds how Indonesian lives are filtered through the soldiers’ assumptions and moral blindness.
Dreamy music and dialogue-free patrol montages create a sultry, hallucinatory atmosphere around escalating brutality.
Johan is forced to reconsider his beliefs as Captain Westerling’s squad normalizes increasingly brutal actions.
The story connects Johan’s service in Indonesia with the enduring disillusionment produced by that experience.
Films like The East, and why
Apocalypse Now
colonial military violence, moral disintegration, and fever-dream atmosphere
The Thin Red Line
antiwar drama focused on soldiers’ moral compromise and historical guilt
The Battle of Algiers
colonial conflict, brutal counterinsurgency, and disillusioned military perspective
Full Metal Jacket
historical war drama portraying ideological indoctrination and the erosion of empathy
Movie Details
- Director
- Jim Taihuttu
- Release Date
- 2021-08-13
- Runtime
- 137 min
- Rating
- 6.0 / 10 (79)
Cast
- Martijn Lakemeier
- Marwan Kenzari
- Jonas Smulders
- Jim Deddes
- Abel van Gijlswijk
- Coen Bril
- Reinout Scholten van Aschat
- Joes Brauers
- Peter Paul Muller
- Mike Reus
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Philo, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The East about?
- A young Dutch soldier’s faith in military order dissolves amid the brutal counterinsurgency of Indonesia’s independence struggle.
- What is The East like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The East as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The East violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The East as graphic.
- What did critics think of The East?
- Critics broadly praised the film’s atmosphere, performances, and willingness to confront a sensitive chapter of Dutch colonial history, while finding its dialogue and latter-half development uneven.
- Which films are like The East?
- Films with a similar feel include Apocalypse Now, The Thin Red Line, The Battle of Algiers, and Full Metal Jacket.
- How long is The East?
- The East runs 137 minutes.
- Where can I watch The East?
- In United States, The East streams on Amazon Prime Video, Philo, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
