If you’re lacking some European thriller on your watchlist, HBO Max has got your back. The streaming giant is set to launch globally The Informant, a spy series from Hungary that is set in the 80s – not the best time to be a spy. The story follows an informant that, in order to save his brother, has been forced to infiltrate a group of radicals and report on them. So he has to pretend to be having the time of his life while worrying about being caught.
The trailer reveals that, as leading man Geri Demeter (Gergely Váradi) is a freshman at college, it won’t be too hard to lead a double life in an environment that is far from hostile. Different from other spy stories such as Atomic Blonde and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, in which danger seems to lurk in every corner, The Informant has a kind of innocent vibe that might make Geri have a false sense of security.
Also revealed by the trailer is that, even though there’s a lot of playing around, sunshine and drinking it up, it’s only a matter of time before it all comes crashing down, and Geri had better realize it sooner rather than later. When he does, however, he might start questioning what side is he on and why. After all, what’s a good double agent story without a bit of identity crisis?
The Informant is written by Bálint Szentgyörgyi, who comes back to the industry almost a decade after writing documentary series Water, Our Past and Future. Szentgyörgyi wrote, directed and produced the first episode of The Informant with his own money and friends, and then showed the pilot to HBO Europe, which picked up a full season. The series ended up being featured in last year’s Geneva International Film Festival.
HBO Max premieres The Informant on April 1 with two episodes. The remaining six will roll out weekly.
You can watch the trailer below:
Check out the official synopsis here:
The Informant is set in 1985, behind the Iron Curtain, as Geri (Gergely Váradi) leaves for college. He is looking forward to meeting girls and partying and joins a group of radicals, led by the charismatic Száva (Márton Patkós). But Geri has a secret. He’s an informant of the totalitarian state and to save his brother, he’s been forced to spy on his new friends for State Security. While Geri’s life changes forever – juggling parties and political debates – he wrestles with a daily challenge; whose side should he be on? Especially when the group’s increasingly radical leader, Száva realizes that there is an informant among them.