Whether capturing or creating a world, the objects onscreen tell as much of a story as the people within it. Whether sourced or accidental, insert shot or background detail, what prop or piece of set decoration do you find particularly integral to your film? What story does it tell?

In the detective’s office there is a poster of Al Pacino in Scarface on a dollar bill. The detective likes Tony Montana, but Scarface has nothing to do with him, nor with the subject of the documentary, and the mafia is not related to the references of cine noir which The Mole Agent addresses. Therefore, it is an object that should not belong to that world, it is a contrast. The Mole Agent is full of absurd contrasts too: an 85-year-old undercover agent who does not know how to be a spy and crimes to investigate in a place where, apparently, there are no crimes.

See all responses to our annual Sundance Question here.