83-year-old Sergio is chosen from a group of elderly men to infiltrate a Chilean nursing home. The widower is tasked by his employer (a private investigator named Rómulo) to gather intelligence on a certain resident whose daughter suspects is being abused, stolen from, or both.
As Romulo equips Sergio with various high-tech spy gadgets and briefs him on note-taking and check-ins, we get our first glimpse of what’s really going on. As Sergio puts on his camera-glasses, we can see that he and Romulo are not alone – there’s a camera crew in the room with them. If you hadn’t guessed by now, The Mole Agent is not a narrative film, as the set-up might suggest, but a documentary – and a warm-hearted, if often heartbreaking one at that.
Once the training session is over, Sergio is placed into the long-care facility and begins searching for his target. With a camera crew already installed under the guise of a documentary about daily nursing home life, no one suspects Sergio is part of an investigation. The residents – most of whom are women – quickly warm to Sergio, allowing director Maite Alberdi to capture some candid and truly remarkable footage.
Sergio eventually locates his mark but quickly determines that she isn’t abused, just incredibly lonely. As it turns out, family visits are infrequent for nearly everyone in the home. The “case” may have gotten Sergio and the filmmakers in the door, but it soon becomes apparent that the real drama lies within the stories and personalities of the various residents, who prove to be full of life, intelligence, and emotion. Their loneliness, mixed with Sergio’s warm and inviting personality, provide them with opportunities to open up and unpack their heavy burdens. Fed up with spying, Sergio becomes a confidant, and what we learn about his new friends is equal parts uplifting and saddening.
The Mole Agent isn’t a flashy movie and there aren’t any big revelations, but it succeeds on the strength of its overwhelming humanity. It occupies a small world, but its implications are vast and universal, easily crossing borders and language barriers. As the holidays approach, The Mole Agent is a humbling reminder of the loneliness aging often brings with it, and how simple conversations can mean the world to so many people.
James is a writer, record collector, wrestling nerd, and tabletop gamer living with his family in Asheville, North Carolina. He is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association, the North Carolina Film Critics Association, and contributes to The Daily Orca, Razorcake Magazine, Mountain Xpress, and Asheville Movies.