Operation Avalanche

Operation Avalanche (2016) is a Canadian mockumentary thriller directed by Matt Johnson that you can watch online on iFILM. Set in 1967 at the height of the Cold War, it follows two young CIA operatives who go undercover inside NASA pretending to make a documentary — their real job is to flush out a Soviet mole.

The mission shifts. The Agency decides the safest backup plan for Apollo is to shoot a fake moon landing on a soundstage, just in case. Johnson and Owen Williams play fictionalized versions of themselves as agents who are thrilled by the assignment right up until they realize what they have agreed to cover up. Real NASA archival footage is cut directly into staged scenes, and the seam is deliberately hard to find.

The crew actually talked their way into several government locations without permits to get the footage they needed — which tells you something about the film's commitment to the bit. For a conspiracy thriller built on paranoia and a shoestring budget, it carries genuine unease. Stream Operation Avalanche (2016) online on iFILM.