Brit Marling became a sensation at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival for two films she wrote, directed and/or starred in – Another Earth and Sound of My Voice – but neither of those films impressed me, despite their original premises and intriguing twist endings. So, I was not that eager to see her next film. Then I saw the first trailer for The East, and I could not wait to give Marling another chance.
Beginning with what seems like another PR ad from an oil or natural gas company, the trailer quickly zaps our attention when the eco-terrorist group at the film’s focus hijacks the promo and replaces it with warnings. “We want all those who are guilty to experience the terror of their crimes… when it’s your fault, it shouldn’t be so easy to sleep at night.”
Simply put, this trailer hit a nerve, thanks to Ellen Page’s off-kilter, threatening voice-over, some haunting images and rapid and throbbing edits that portrayed the danger and stakes set by the anarchist group. In an age of Edward Snowden, Page saying, “Spy on us? We’ll spy on you,” grabbed our attention.
This was a gripping tease that promised revenge against big, powerful conglomerates, giving audiences just a taste of the provocative madness while leaving us eager to see what would unfurl on the screen. It was a dark but crafty trailer and it did everything it could to grab and hold your attention.