With Inheritance, director Neil Burger crafts a tense, globe-spanning espionage thriller rooted in something more intimate than most spy sagas: identity, family, and unresolved legacy.

While the film traverses New York, Cairo, Seoul and Delhi, at its core is a daughter trying to make sense of her father’s secrets—and her own place in the world.In this exclusive conversation with ETimes, Burger reflects on his experience shooting in India, the power of female-led thrillers, and why filming with an iPhone was the perfect choice for a story about hidden truths.Q: What was your experience shooting this globe-trotting adventure that takes you through the crowded streets of Delhi?Neil Burger: It was amazing shooting in Delhi.

We shot all over the world—New York, Cairo, New Delhi, Seoul, and back to New York. I’m in love with India, and my family has a history there, so it was very important for me to make one of the stops on this round-the-world thriller in India. And it didn’t disappoint. The crews were great. The actors were great. The locations were amazing.Q: Compared to other locations, what made shooting in India so necessary for the story?Burger: The movie is about a young woman unravelling her father’s professional, personal and political secrets.

In Egypt, we’re literally excavating history with the pyramids. In Delhi, it’s about humanity—rubbing shoulders with so many people. Delhi made perfect sense for this part of her journey. There’s this raw, vibrant energy. And then Seoul had its own vibe. Q: The Indian locations looked intense—what was it like filming in those tight bylanes?Burger: We shot the movie on an iPhone, not as a gimmick, but to gain access. We could walk through a crowded Delhi market, and nobody would look at us because everyone has a phone in their hand filming something.

We didn’t want the disruption of a full film crew. A very small crew let us move through locations unnoticed. We wanted to see the world—not have the world see us.Q: No one recognised Phoebe Dynevor during those shoots? She has quite the Bridgerton fan following here.Burger: Every once in a while someone did. But generally, no. We were very quick. We’d sweep in, shoot, and be gone. A little bit in the true spirit of the spy theme—we called it a “stolen aesthetic.”Q: Spy thrillers are a popular genre globally. What makes Inheritance different?Burger: In Inheritance, the espionage isn’t institutional, like John le Carré’s stories. It’s personal. It’s a daughter questioning whether her father was good or bad—and what that says about her. Is she a black sheep? Where does she fit in? That personal angle is what sets this apart.Q: What’s your take on the rise of female-led spy thrillers?Burger: All genres are shifting more towards women’s stories.

This one is about a woman catapulted into an international conspiracy, but it’s still very personal. That’s exciting.Q: Spy stories often come with an expectation of sex appeal, especially for female leads. In India, we’ve seen a wave of female-led spy thrillers too with actors like Alia Bhatt (Alpha), Deepika Padukone (Pathaan), and Priyanka Chopra (Citadel). However, Phoebe’s character isn’t sexualised, was that deliberate?Burger:Yes.

Someone told me they never looked at Phoebe as an object—and that’s exactly what we aimed for. Phoebe, even though she's very beautiful, they were never looking at her like as an object. We never objectified her. We really wanted to be in her point of view the whole time. I think that our filming technique kind of did that. It wasn't sort of a documentary, docudrama, but we very much wanted to be in her shoes, in her mindset, in her eye, in her point of view.

So we really never objectified her and she doesn't use that. She just uses her wits. She's a sexual creature, but she's not using it in any kind of way.Q: You cast local Indian actors instead of known faces—why?Burger: We wanted it to feel real. She walks into real situations with real people. We weren’t making a documentary, but we did want that immediacy. The actors helped us ground the film in authenticity.Q: If you had to send a celebrity on a spy mission today—Blake, Justin, or Diddy—who would it be?Burger: I think they’d be the targets, not the spies! Spies blend in.

Those guys wouldn’t get away with anything—they need attention.Q: What’s next for you? Are you really working on Bride of Frankenstein?Burger: That’s an old rumour, no. But I’ve just been working on another spy series called The Agency, with Michael Fassbender, Jeffrey Wright, and Richard Gere. It’s based on the French show Le Bureau and has just aired in the U.S.Q: What’s the difference between working with younger actors like Phoebe or Shailene Woodley, and seasoned stars like Fassbender or De Niro?Burger: The experienced ones show up and deliver.

But the best still want direction—they want to collaborate. The younger ones, like Shailene, are eager and open. They'll keep doing take after take until you’re happy. Sometimes I prefer that openness—they’re less set in their ways.

Streaming on Lionsgate Play from May 23, Inheritance stars Phoebe Dynevor, Rhys Ifans, Ciara Baxendale and Kashyap Shangari. Shot across four countries on an iPhone, the film offers a fresh, immersive take on the espionage genre—where the biggest secrets aren’t global conspiracies, but the ones hidden in your own family.