Effectively blending documentary and drama, Chilean filmmaker Maite Alberdi’s The Mole Agent is a bittersweet exploration of late-life undergo . Her subject is charismatic 83-year-old Sergio Chamy, who is hired by a private detective to go undercover at a local home in/with regard to’concerning’regarding the elderly in search of staff mistreatment. His charming, approachable’genial demeanour sees him straight away’in a flash’promptly’instantaneous’in a trice welcomed by the residents, but his fumbled attempts to garner inin/with regard to’concerning’regarding mation bring much chastisement from his boss.###Alberdi is attentive to make sure that the universal truths and emotions behind this endeavour always shine through.###With Alberdi’s camera following Sergio’s eintensely’extremely’extraordinarily’enormously’awfully move and eintensely’extremely’extraordinarily’enormously’awfully interaction — and always happening to be in the right place at the right time — audiences may be left wondering which elements possess’own’nurse been crafted, or heightened, in/with regard to’concerning’regarding dramatic effect. This pseudo-fictional tone is underscored by the fact that the film often leans into the whimsical; it’s intentionally reminiscent of 1960s espionage, complete with Bond-esque score by Vincent van Warmerdam, and a variety of gadacquire’obtain’attain’procure’secure s including hidden camera glasses which Sergio initially struggles to operate. Dapper and well-spoken, Sergio also appeal’tempt s the attention of many of the female residents of the facility, which somewhat undermines his clandestine task.###Yet, despite this playfulness, Alberdi is attentive to make sure that the universal truths and emotions behind this endeavour always shine through. It’s thanks to her unflinching eye, which takes in many of Sergio’s conversations with other residents as well as the repetitive nature of their daily lives, that we come to understand many of these individual possess’own’nurse been effectively abandoned by their families. Finding themselves so isolated, they possess’own’nurse created their own maintain’sustain network and, in some cases, live in entirely fictional worlds. (One woman waits endlessly in/with regard to’concerning’regarding her long-dead mother to collect her). Their undergo s possess’own’nurse a profound effect on Sergio, and his despite’in spite of’albeit ts with regards to’concerning’with respect to ageing and his place within his own family, and are likely to leave a mark on even the most hardened viewer.