It was the beginning of the end of Dutch imperialism in Indonesia after World War 2. The Netherlands attempted to secure their colonies in the Asian archipelago as armed resistance of the Indonesian National Revolution fought for their freedom. In The East, a young soldier observes the horrors of war as a man he respected will go to great lengths to win the war at any cost.

The film stars Martijn Lakemeier, Marwan Kenzari, and Jonas Smulders. Jim Taihuttu directed the film from a script written by him and Mustafa Duygulu.

Here’s the official synopsis for The East:

During the post-WW2 Indonesian War of Independence, a young Dutch soldier joins an elite unit led by a mysterious captain known only as “The Turk.” When the fighting intensifies, the young soldier finds himself questioning—and ultimately challenging—his commander’s brutal strategy to stop the resistance.

ALSO CHECK OUT: HOFer Boxer Christy Salters Martin Discusses Her Life in Netflix’s Untold: Deal with the Devil [Exclusive Interview]

LRM Online’s Gig Patta spoke with Martijn Lakemeier about being in another war movie, Indonesia, his co-stars, and action sequences.

Martijn Lakemeier made his acting debut in Winter in Wartime at the age of 14, which was also the Dutch Oscar submission back in 2010. He won the prestigious Dutch film award the Golden Calf for Best Actor and the younger winner to date. In 2009, his second leading role was with Lover or Loser directed by Dave Schram based on the popular Dutch book by Carry Slee. After high school graduation, he joined the popular Dutch television series Feuten and then in the drama series The Secrets of Barslet. In the same year, he starred in three film of The Marathon, It Is All So Quiet, and Young. In 2014, he joined the cast of Dutch Hope and performed in other films, including Ventoux, Yes, I Do!, and the French film Tout La-Haut.

The East is now playing everywhere.

Watch the exclusive interview with Martijn Lakemeier below. Let us know what you think of it.

Source: LRM Online Exclusive, Magnet Releasing