The Scout

Paula Andrea González-Nasser’s striking directorial debut is a subtle yet riveting character study wrapped in the bustle of New York City. Set over the course of one day, a television location scout connects and interacts with a handful of strangers who let her into their homes as she searches for the perfect interior.

Sofia, a New York City based location scout, is under pressure to find and lock down shooting locations for a TV pilot. As the show’s sole scout, she’s often alone during her workdays—exploring and documenting the streets, businesses, and residences of the city. Throughout her day of searching, she asks to enter the private space of a handful of the city’s residents and in doing so, steps into the fabric of their lives: a nostalgic elderly woman who lives alone, a well-off software developer and newly father with too much time on his hands, an old distanced college friend, and so on. While capturing these fleeting moments of intimacy, curiosity, and vulnerability, her work takes a sudden, personal turn.