The East 2013
Directed by
Zal Batmanglij
Made by
Fox Searchlight Pictures
The East Plot Summary
Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for The East (2013). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.
Jane, an operative for private intelligence firm Hiller Brood, is assigned by her boss, Sharon to infiltrate The East, an underground activist, anarchist and environmentalist organization that has launched a vandalistic attack against a corporate leader and threatens two more as retribution for ecological crimes. Calling herself Sarah, she joins drifters in hitching train rides. When one drifter, Luca, helps her escape from the police, he reveals the symbol of The East hanging from his car mirror. Sarah self-inflicts an arm injury that she tells Luca was caused in the escape so he can get her medical attention. He takes her to a seemingly abandoned house in the woods where members of The East live and Doc treats her.
Sarah is given two nights to recover before she must leave. At an elaborate dinner involving straitjackets, Sarah is tested and fails, exposing how selfishly she and many others live their lives. Eve catches her spying one night and signs that she is undercover, threatening Eve with jail if she stays; Eve leaves the next morning. Sarah is recruited to fill the missing member’s role on a “jam”, a term for protest by subversive means. Sarah reluctantly participates in The East’s next jam and learns that the group’s members have all been damaged by corporate activities. For example, Doc was poisoned by a fluoroquinolone antibiotic and his neurosystem is degenerating. The East infiltrates a party for the antibiotic company’s senior executives and adds the antibiotic to the champagne. The East announce this via YouTube: one executive’s health begins to fail, revealing the drug’s side effects. After seeing the jam’s effectiveness, compounded by her attraction to charismatic Benji, Sarah questions the morality of her job.
Izzy is the daughter of a petrochemical CEO. The group uses this connection to gain access to him and forces him to bathe in the waterway he has been using as a toxic dumping ground. This goes wrong when security arrives and shoots the fleeing Izzy. At the squat, Doc’s hands tremble too much for him to perform surgery. Working under his guidance, Sarah manages to remove the bullet but Izzy dies. This is the catalyst for Sarah and Benji’s romance and they have sex.
Sarah implores Benji to leave, but he insists they participate in a fourth and final jam. Sarah initially refuses but gives in. When she awakens after sleeping in the car, she realizes that Benji is driving her to Hiller Brood’s headquarters. He reveals that he has always suspected her of being a spy, as did Luca, who brought her in as a test. Benji wants Sarah to obtain a non-official cover (NOC: unofficial espionage agents) global list of Hiller Brood agents, to “watch” them. Having copied the list onto her cell phone’s memory card, Sarah runs into Sharon and confronts her about the firm’s activities, revealing her new allegiances. Sharon has Sarah’s cellphone confiscated as she leaves. As Hiller Brood had been sharing information with the FBI, The East’s hideout is raided and Doc is arrested but sacrifices himself to ensure that the remaining members can escape. Sarah tells Benji she has failed to get the NOC list, which Benji reveals he meant to use to expose the undercover agents, even though that meant they could be killed. Sarah chooses not to go on the run and they part as Benji heads out of the country. In truth, Sarah still has the list because she had swallowed the memory card. The film ends with an epilogue of her contacting her undercover former coworkers and informing them of the corporate crimes Hiller Brood’s clients want to protect, peacefully furthering The East’s goals.
The East Timeline
Follow the complete movie timeline of The East (2013) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.
Assignment to infiltrate The East
Sarah is assigned by her boss Sharon to infiltrate The East, an underground activist group. Her mission is to gather intelligence on their activities and motives. This opening sets the stage for a tense clash between private espionage and radical protest.
Joining the drifters and meeting Luca
Sarah joins drifters to blend into their world and travel incognito. Luca helps her escape from the police, and she notices The East symbol on his car mirror, confirming her target. A fragile trust begins to form as she embeds herself with the group.
Injury and imposition of cover story
Sarah self-inflicts an arm injury and tells Luca it happened during the escape to justify a medical detour. Luca takes her to a seemingly abandoned house in the woods where Doc treats her. This first contact with The East’s inner circle marks a decisive turn in her undercover mission.
Two-night recovery and the dinner test
She is given two nights to recover before she must leave. An elaborate dinner featuring straitjackets serves as a brutal test that exposes how selfish many people live their lives. The experience hardens Sarah’s view of the group's ideals and her role within it.
Eve catches Sarah spying
One night Sarah is caught spying by Eve, a deaf member who communicates by sign language. Sarah admits she is an undercover agent and warns Eve she could face jail if she stays; Eve leaves the next morning. The incident heightens suspicion but advances Sarah's covert position.
Recruitment for the jam
Sarah is recruited to fill the missing member’s role on a jam, a protest enacted through subversive means. She reluctantly accepts and begins training with The East’s members, who are all marked by corporate harm. The new role tightens the bond between her and the group even as questions about loyalty grow.
First jam: corporate sabotage at a party
During a jam, The East infiltrates a party for senior antibiotic company executives and adds the drug to champagne. They broadcast the act on YouTube to reveal corporate malfeasance. The sabotage also underscores Doc’s deteriorating neurosystem from past fluoroquinolone poisoning, showing the real human cost of corporate greed.
Izzy's mission and death
Izzy, the daughter of a petrochemical CEO, is used to gain access and to expose his pollution by making him bathe in his own toxin-laden waterway. Security arrives and Izzy is shot as she flees. Doc’s hands tremble too much to perform surgery, and Sarah helps remove the bullet, but Izzy dies, catalyzing a romance between Sarah and Benji.
Sarah and Benji romance
Following Izzy’s death, Sarah and Benji grow closer and begin a romance. The affair complicates Sarah’s loyalty as she continues her undercover obligations and The East’s escalating actions. Their bond becomes both a source of strength and moral conflict.
The fourth jam and the road toward HQ
On the road toward Hiller Brood HQ, Benji reveals that he has long suspected Sarah was a spy. Having copied the NOC list onto her phone’s memory card, she prepares to use it as leverage. The plan to retrieve, expose, or manipulate agents pivots the mission into a final, high-stakes confrontation.
Confrontation with Sharon and phone confiscation
Sarah confronts Sharon about The East and her new allegiances at Hiller Brood HQ. Sharon responds by confiscating Sarah’s cellphone, cutting off her direct access to crucial information. The clash marks a turning point as personal loyalty and corporate power collide.
Raid on The East and Doc's sacrifice
The East’s hideout is raided and Doc is arrested, but he sacrifices himself to ensure the others can escape. The raid demonstrates the ruthless reach of their adversaries and tests the remaining members’ resolve. Sarah’s loyalties are further tested as the group fragments under pressure.
NOC list and memory card revelation
Sarah tells Benji she failed to retrieve the NOC list, but Benji reveals that was part of the plan to reveal undercover networks. She admits she has swallowed the memory card containing the list, choosing not to run. The two part ways as Benji heads out of the country, leaving Sarah to pursue the mission alone.
Epilogue: Sarah reaches out to undercover colleagues
In the epilogue, Sarah contacts her undercover former coworkers to inform them of corporate crimes Hiller Brood’s clients aim to protect. She continues The East’s peaceful, information-based resistance from within the system. The story ends with a quiet, persistent resolve to expose wrongdoing.
The East Characters
Explore all characters from The East (2013). Get detailed profiles with their roles, arcs, and key relationships explained.
Sarah (Brit Marling)
An undercover operative for Hiller Brood who infiltrates The East under the alias Sarah. She is intelligent and resourceful, but her mission begins to clash with her growing empathy for the group and its causes. As her loyalty is tested, she forms a complicated bond with Benji and weighs the consequences of exposing corporate crimes. She ultimately chooses to reveal truth by preserving the memory card she swallows, signaling a shift in allegiance.
Benji (Alexander Skarsgård)
Charismatic leader of The East, who believes in direct-action tactics to topple corrupt corporations. His charm attracts Sarah and others, but his methods push ethical boundaries. His relationship with Sarah intensifies the stakes of their mission as he pushes forward with the jams. He prioritizes exposing wrongdoing, even at personal risk.
Izzy (Elliot Page)
Daughter of a petrochemical CEO, Izzy joins The East, using her position to challenge her father’s toxic practices. Her involvement reveals the human cost of corporate pollution and the personal risk activists take. Izzy's presence underscores the group’s personal stakes and the fatal consequences that can arise during confrontations with security forces.
Doc (Toby Kebbell)
The East's skilled doctor whose hands tremble and threaten his surgical ability. He guides Sarah in the field and shares a grim understanding of the group’s trauma. Doc ultimately sacrifices himself to ensure the remaining members escape when the hideout is compromised, highlighting selflessness amid danger.
Luca (Shiloh Fernandez)
A drifter who helps Sarah during her escape and serves as a test of trust within the group. He recognizes the symbol of The East and becomes entwined in the undercover mission. Luca's presence adds complexity to Sarah's infiltration and complicates loyalties among the activists.
Eve (Hillary Baack)
A deaf member of The East who signs and senses the deception surrounding Sarah’s cover. She confronts Sarah with the truth about her undercover status, threatening jail if she stays. Eve's departure the following morning underscores the fragile trust within the group.
Sharon (Patricia Clarkson)
The formidable head of Hiller Brood, steering the private intelligence firm’s covert operations. She coordinates with the FBI and uses every resource to neutralize The East. Sharon’s actions reveal the complicity between private firms and government agencies, and she ultimately confronts Sarah when their loyalties collide.
The East Settings
Learn where and when The East (2013) takes place. Explore the film’s settings, era, and how they shape the narrative.
Time period
2010s
Set in the early 2010s, the film presents a contemporary landscape where corporate wrongdoing is challenged by radical activism. The era's technology enables groups like The East to broadcast actions online and coordinate undercover operations. The time period emphasizes modern surveillance, social media, and the ethics of vigilantism.
Location
Abandoned house in the woods, Hiller Brood headquarters
An underground hideout in the woods serves as The East's base, a remote and makeshift home for their operations. The narrative also moves to the slick headquarters of Hiller Brood, the private firm behind the crimes. The contrast between the wooded retreat and the corporate stronghold underlines the clash between nature-protecting activism and corporate power.
The East Themes
Discover the main themes in The East (2013). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.
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Morality
The East's tactics blur the line between justice and vengeance. The group conducts vigilante actions against powerful corporations while claiming to defend the environment, forcing characters to question the morality of their methods. Sarah's loyalties shift as she witnesses the consequences of the jams. The film probes whether ends justify means when innocent people might be harmed, and whether systemic corruption legitimizes revolutionary acts.
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Secrecy & Trust
Undercover infiltration creates a web of deception where trust is scarce and information is currency. The memory card, the NOC list, and Sarah's hidden loyalties drive the plot and test loyalties among group members. The film explores how secrecy can both protect and endanger lives, and how betrayals shape the mission. Ultimately, trust hinges on shared purpose rather than personal safety.
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Romance & Loyalty
A romantic tension develops between Sarah and Benji, complicating their opposing obligations and moral judgments. Their relationship intensifies the stakes of the Jam strategy and personal risk. Love acts as both a motivator and a source of vulnerability within a high-stakes political conflict. The romance highlights how intimate bonds influence decisions under pressure.
The East Spoiler-Free Summary
Discover the spoiler-free summary of The East (2013). Get a concise overview without any spoilers.
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