Going deep undercover, integrating one’s self into a group without any suspicion, and passing out information to another party… That’s the job of a mole. While they mostly lurk in various government agencies, laboratories, and other special circles of power, The Mole Agent instead goes deep undercover in a Chilean retirement home, having stakes that may not be world-ending, but take more personal, domestic weight as Sergio befriends the residents, records and reports on their well-being, and tries to figure out what exactly Romulo wants as evidence. It’s a funny situation, one that depicts the resident home with warmth, albeit with the occasional spy cams and an old-fashioned piano score, but it can be difficult to figure out where the line is between truth and fiction, as some scenes can feel a bit staged. Still, The Mole Agent is a charming portrait of old age, made so compelling with director Maite Alberdi’s unusual perspective.
"A fun little diversion, but nothing more."
— David Jenkins
When a daughter becomes concerned about her mother's well-being in a retirement home, private investigator Romulo hires Sergio, an 83-year-old man who becomes a new resident—and a mole inside the home, who struggles to balance his assignment with becoming increasingly involved in the lives of several residents.
To investigate a retirement home for elder abuse, private investigator Romulo recruits Sergio, an 83-year-old man, to become a resident mole. As he befriends the residents, he struggles to balance his assignment and becomes involved in their lives.
The direction.
Missing my grandparents today.
Oscars
1 nomination
Spirit Awards
1 nomination
Sundance
1 nomination
Nat. Board of Review
1 win, 1 nomination
Goya Awards
1 nomination
"The deadening/enlivening line that Alberdi walks here is something like that between surface twee and bone-deep pathos...but it's elevated through the buy-in of its subjects."
— Eric Hynes