If there are eight million stories in the naked city, Paula González-Nasser’s “The Scout” peers into a very small sampling. But the film, a work of fine-grained realism, still offers an evocative study of the struggle to live intentionally in New York, a city that demands speed.
Set mostly over a single day, the film trails Sofia (Mimi Davila), a location scout, as she races across boroughs in search of settings for a television pilot. Making the rounds solo, she canvasses neighborhoods, photographs interiors and exchanges small talk with homeowners. The chats are desultory, but over time, the snippets coalesce into a picture of Sofia’s life: what’s fulfilling and what’s missing.
This is a quiet film, its unobtrusive profile a feature, not a bug. Sofia knows that, in her line of work, it pays to blend into the wallpaper. As a polite observer, she can slip in and out, securing what she needs and avoiding bottlenecks. González-Nasser — a former location scout who wrote, directed and produced the indie film — wisely mirrors her protagonist’s manner in her filmmaking, favoring wide shots that witness events in real time.
These compositions also accentuate the settings in “The Scout,” training the viewer to acquire Sofia’s eye for locations. Peeking into homes and businesses, we become scouts ourselves, noticing how people arrange their spaces, how they lead their lives. Over time, Sofia, a practiced looker, senses that she might want to slow down and reassess her own values and desires. She is a protagonist adrift; but as Sofia flounders, González-Nasser knows exactly what she’s doing.
The Scout Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 29 minutes. In theaters.
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