The East movie

[Hanno Spoelstra]

“De Oost” (the East) is a Dutch movie about the Dutch trying to take back control over the Netherlands East Indies, which had claimed independence as Indonesia right after WW2.

It follows the undertakings of a young Dutch lad who was conscripted to fight what turned out to be a dirty war. The Dutch soldiers were told they were going to liberate the Indonesian people from oppressors. They all had lived (and fought) through WW2 living under the German oppression themselves, so believe they were doing a noble thing. In reality the Dutch government and business corporations did not want to loose the rich pickings they had enjoyed the centuries before WW2 broke out. The soldiers had to fight a dirty war which to this day, sadly, divides people. It is the same story of many wars: regular soldiers and citizens suffering under the rulings class’ hunger for power and wealth.

See a trailer here: https://youtu.be/PwGiADNEUtk