SXSWorld
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Director and Star's Personal Journeys Inform The East by Russ Fischer S 30 R I TA Q U I N N and occasionally violent action against ound of My Voice director Zal corporate interests. The director's favorite Batmanglij's second film, The reaction to the film came from a pair of East, is informed by experiences CEOs who said, "you know … the confew directors share. The film tracks versations we had after your movie are a young corporate intelligence agent ones we never have. And if this made who, in order to protect company us have those conversations, we can't interests, infiltrates a far-left environimagine what talks other people are going mental terrorist group. Co-writer Brit to have." Marling plays the agent, who poses as The East looks more like a convena homeless "traveler" who jumps trains tional thriller than the small-scale Sound and dumpster-dives for food in order of My Voice, but that is due to creative use to accomplish the mission. Those gritty of resources rather than lavish spending. details were not conjured out of thin air. "I really wanted to keep this film on the Some time before making the film, same scale as the last," asserts the filmMarling and her co-writer/director maker. "Fox got us to go bigger. They Batmanglij spent time on the road as were very convincing." travelers, essentially living the life of the However, Batmanglij still sees himmain character. "It wasn't even research self as a journeyman and points to the for the film," he explains, reliving the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi, which memory. "We had two projects that profiles the decades-long career of Japan's weren't moving, we were out of money, most famous sushi chef, as an example of and we were looking for an adventure." applying oneself to craft and developing They found that adventure, and both a talent: "We don't see that dedication to projects eventually moved forward with mastery as often as we should." determination. The first became Sound Though his life is changing rapidly, the of My Voice, a 2011 SXSW Film selecActress Brit Marling and director Zal Batmanglij attend the hopeful spirit that sent the young filmtion, which established both creators as 2011 SXSW Film Festival Sound Of My Voice Premiere maker on the road years ago has not been powerful new talents in the indie world. extinguished, and he strives to develop The second became The East, which his own skills. "I'm not a good enough filmmaker yet to make the film wraps probing social questions in the framework of a rousing thriller. I see in my head," he admits without any trace of bitterness. "There are This new film is a bigger, more polished effort but is not a radical some big moments in The East that are very close — the scene where departure from its predecessor. "They're sister films," Batmanglij speciBrit is first introduced to the group, and the spin the bottle sequence fies. Indeed, both express an inquisitive spirit and feature the infiltration — that are very much the way I thought they'd be. Those are the scenes of a fringe group by outside forces whose presumed authority is called that are most me." into question. Two unexpected names adorn the film's credit roll: Ridley Scott, and When they hit the road, Batmangli and Marling quickly discovered his late brother Tony Scott. Producer Michael Costigan, of the brothers' that they understood less about spare living than they first assumed. "I company Scott Free, took to Batmanglij and Marling's script for The mean, we knew a few things, but not much," Batmanglij admits. "Take East, and Scott Free helped in development. "Ridley Scott just loves dumpster diving — I thought that meant I'd grab an orange out of the movies, and has dedicated himself to them," says Batmanglij. "And to trash. And then I realized that people [in businesses] are legally bound have him read our work and offer advice was a dream come true." to throw away all this food. People in this country are starving ... it Batmanglij is also excited to return to SXSW. "I'm so stoked," he doesn't take much to realize there's something wrong there." exclaims. He previously premiered the film at Sundance in January and That activist spirit runs through the film, and as the agent's mission estimates that audiences there are "primed for discovery," perhaps to the leads her to unexpected personal commitments, the issues raised echo exclusion of other experiences. By way of contrast, he finds the Austin the filmmakers' own search for understanding of unspoken charactervibe to be much more open to everything. "What's really exciting to istics of modern American life. "There's no main message," Batmanglij me," he enthuses, "is that you're on the street, and you feel like there's no insists. "And it's not like we have all the answers — we don't have any separation between you and the audience. That's a really cool thing." ■ answers. It's a conversation." That conversation contains incendiary moments, as characters porThe East is SXSW's Closing Night Film and will screen at 8pm on Saturday, March trayed by Ellen Page, Alexander Skarsgård, and Toby Kebbell take wild 16 at the Paramount Theatre (713 Congress Ave). SXSWORLD / MARCH MUSIC 2013