The Scout

by Mike McGranaghan

The Scout is about a woman who works as a location scout for movies and TV shows. She walks through various New York City neighborhoods, looking for people who will allow filming inside their homes. Watching the movie, I kept thinking about its own location scout, who did a magnificent job finding beautiful houses to use in the production. Then again, when you’re thinking about the location scout, a movie probably isn’t working.

Sofia (Mimi Davila) is searching for locations for an upcoming television pilot. She leaves fliers in front doors with a phone number interested parties can call for more information. Whenever a call comes in, she arranges to visit the person at home, where she takes pictures of the interior to give to the show’s producers.

There isn’t a plot here. Instead, we spend a day with Sofia, observing as she interacts with various homeowners. She meets an older lady whose grown children all live abroad, a tech guy who has figured out how to hack into the NYPD’s computer system to delete his parking tickets, and a friend from her past with whom she had a contentious final encounter.

Written and directed by Paula González-Nasser, who previously worked as a location manager, The Scout is reminiscent of the work of Jim Jarmusch, whose films are less about story and more about the weird little interactions between individuals. Sofia seems fairly frustrated by the demands of her job, and she’s got a seemingly distant boyfriend at home. Crossing paths with each of these folks gets her thinking about her own situation and what it will take to find contentment.

The difference is that Jarmusch’s best films - Stranger Than Paradise, Broken Flowers, Paterson – are exceptionally well-written, with smart, engaging dialogue and characters who are intriguing in their eccentricities. González-Nasser doesn’t have that flair. Sofia’s chats with the others are rather dull, and none of the homeowners are particularly colorful. That causes the movie to feel plodding and slow. You keep waiting for something dramatic to happen. It never does.

Davila gives a nice low-key performance, doing her best with thin material. She suggests an inner malaise that plagues Sofia, even though it’s not clear what the source of her displeasure is. Still, the actress would have been up to the task had the screenplay provided her with more substance. Good-looking NYC locations are the other major positive. Seeing cool architecture made me want to take a leisurely stroll through these streets.

Again, though, if you’re thinking about taking a walk during a movie, something isn’t working. The Scout is pleasant enough, but it passes by without making much of an impression.