The Scout, filmmaker Paula González-Nasser’s debut feature set in New York City, belongs to that category of films in which pleasure and discomfort coexist as we watch someone simply doing their job. Moving from building to building, door to door, Sofia works as a location scout, searching for and photographing spaces where scenes from the series she is working on might be shot. The film is driven by the residents of these buildings and by the production’s higher-ups, both of which turn the protagonist into a largely passive figure, constantly reacting to the demands and obstacles she encounters day after day, even as she begins to question this way of living.
With striking precision, the film is structured around wide shots that allow the New York City we move through to take center stage. The mise-en-scène establishes a dialogue between spaces and the people who inhabit them. Through themes of identity dissolved into profession, degrading power dynamics, and a film industry that is both unstable and unpredictable, The Scout offers everything one might hope for from a film that seduced audiences during its run at the Tribeca Festival and makes us discover a hidden face of New York.
Credits
Year: 2025
Runtime: 89′
Country: USA
Direction: Paula González-Nasser
Screenplay: Paula González-Nasser
Cast: Rutanya Alda, Matt Barats, Mimi Davila
Cinematography: Nicola Newton
Subtitles: Iris C. Permuy, Anna López Odina
Genre: Drama
Contact: 5th Floor Pictures
Wins & nominations
2025 | Tribeca Film Festival
