Spy/Master

Origin and Year: Romania, 2023	Director: Christopher Smith
Runnning time: 2 x 48 min

Victor Godeanu is the right-hand man of Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu. In other countries, however, he is apparently known by other names. In HBO’s stylish spy drama, one of the last series produced under that brand in Eastern Europe so far, we follow the westward escape of a Romanian double agent. Will a man who has been used to playing it both ways for years manage to save himself by moving to another world? And at what cost? Spy/Master is proof of the appeal of Cold War spy stories in a world that younger viewers no longer recognise – even though the show’s main character has a real-life antecedent.

Q&A’s after the screening with producer Ioanina Pavel and executive producer Antony Root