A Compassionate Spy

A Compassionate Spy is a 2022 American documentary film written and directed by Steve James. It premiered out of competition at the 79th edition of the Venice Film Festival. The film was released in the United States on August 4, 2023.

Plot

Through a long interview with the subject and his wife, archive footage and some dramatic reenactments, the film tells the story of Manhattan Project physicist and Soviet Union spy Theodore Hall.

Release

The film had its world premiere at the premiered out of competition at the 79th Venice International Film Festival on September 2, 2022. It was later screened at various festivals including the Telluride Film Festival, the Chicago International Film Festival, and the Palm Springs International Film Festival. The film was theatrically released in the United States by Magnolia Pictures on August 4, 2023.

Reception

The reenactments were criticized by Guy Lodge from Variety, who described them as "unnecessary", making the film "more televisual than in James's best work". David Ehrlich from IndieWire wrote that the reenactments were a "miscalculation that keeps at arm’s length."