After years of being a county occupied by the Nazi forces, you almost forget the Dutch had a military. After World War II was over, the Netherlands had to send their army across the Pacific to deal with their occupation of Indonesia. <i>The East</i> brings us into this time that doesn’t get much discussion in America.
Things get tense for Johan (Martijn Lakemeier as his ship gets close to the port. After a long trip, the young Dutch soldier and his fellow troops are expecting a wild time in the islands. Except their first encounter with the locals is them on small boats calling the incoming troops Nazis and demanding their freedom from Holland. What animosity they meet gets tripled by the unrelenting heat and humidity of the islands. Kids who have never left Holland before aren’t used to the climate. They are reassured that what they’re doing there is right and proper. They are here to assure to help rebuild the island after what the Japanese did to it during World War II. They just need to get the rebels out of the way. Johan finds himself even deeper in the conflict when he joins a unit led by a captain who is brutal in his approach to “keeping the peace.” Are the Dutch troops any different from the Germans?
The East is a major undertaking with a base and vast views of the island that’s fighting for freedom. There’s a beauty to the imagery when things don’t get nasty. In a sense it’s the Dutch version of Platoon except with more in the morality. Is it right that after suffering under the control of Nazi soldiers to be an occupational force? This is a film that should appeal to anyone who wants to see how other countries dealt with their time in Asia. The East is a powerful look back.
Magnet Label & Magnolia Home Entertainment present The East. Directed by Jim Taihuttu. Screenplay by Jim Taihuttu & Mustafa Duygulu. Starring Martijn Lakemeier, Marwan Kenzari, Jonas Smulders, Joes Brauers, Huub Smit, Jeroen Perceval, Peter Paul Muller and Jim Deddes. Rated: Unrated. Running time 141 minutes. Blu-ray released: November 2, 2021.
