The Mole Agent (2020) Movie Review
The Mole Agent is a documentary from filmmaker Maite Alberdi. Alberdi bends the genre and form of traditional documentaries by setting the stage as more of a slick spy thriller. Investigator Rómulo Aitken has a client who suspects that her mother is being abused at a nursing home. He places an ad for an older gentleman to go undercover in the nursing home to see if these claims are factual. We see a series of elderly gentlemen interviewing for the position. The lucky winner is Sergio, an eighty-three year old, who has recently lost his wife.
Rómulo begins prepping Sergio for “life on the inside.” He is decked out with some spy gear including glasses that have a video camera. He’s also briefed on the woman he will be looking for in the nursing home. He is shown her photo and told to make contact with her once inside. Rómulo also teaches him how to operate his cell phone, which Sergio admittedly struggles with. Sergio’s daughter makes an appearance, worried about her father’s safety and wanting to ensure he won’t be in too much danger. After Sergio’s training, he is ready to begin living in the nursing home.
On his first day it’s clear he will be very popular. All of the ladies are eyeing him and one even gives him her pudding in the dining room. It takes Sergio a few days to really begin his assignment. He forgets what the woman looks like and it takes him some time to get used to a new environment. After a brief hiatus Sergio is back in action and locates “the target.” After the initial meeting with the target, The Mole Agent pivots away from the spy game and focuses on a more humanistic approach. Sergio begins making friends with the other residents. There’s Marta who is a sneaky pickpocket, making off with people’s belongings and claiming she knows nothing about it. There’s Berta, a lifelong virgin, who professes her love for Sergio. There are countless others including a woman living with dementia who can’t ever remember her conversations with Sergio and another who shares her poetry with him. Sergio befriends them all and becomes a salve for their loneliness. He’s a gentle man and he listens to each of the residents as they discuss aging, their kids, and life in general.
The Mole Agent’s strength lies in capturing these very human moments that most of the time go unnoticed. It highlights a segment of the population that is often ignored or shut away and showcases their humanity and need for connection. The Mole Agent begins as a spy thriller and transitions into a sweet story of a man looking for purpose and bringing happiness to those he encounters along the way.
Film or Movie: Movie
You’ll like this movie if:
1. You work in elder care
2. You like touching stories about humanity
3. You like old timey spy movies
