THE MOLE AGENT
Chile, 2020, 84 min
Director: Maite Alberdi
Producer: Marcela Santibanez
Editor: Carolina Siraqyan
The Mole Agent is a stylish combination of an observational documentary and a spy movie, with sleek camerawork and wonderfully watchable characters. It’s a unique meditation on compassion and loneliness that will infiltrate your heart and never let go. When a family grows concerned for their mother’s well-being in a retirement home, private investigator Romulo hires 83-year-old Sergio to become a new resident and a mole inside the home. The plan goes awry with all kinds of comical, and at times heart-breaking results as Sergio struggles to balance his assignment with his increasing involvement in the lives of other residents.
Maite Alberdi takes interest in the intimate portrayal of the characters in her films, often working with them over multiple years and curating a lasting relationship. Her intimate portraits of small worlds have made her an important voice in Latin American documentary filmmaking. She has directed The Lifeguard, Tea Time, The Grown-Ups and I’m Not From Here. In 2013 she was selected as a Global Shaper by the World Economic Forum.
UP CLOSE Intro by Director Maite Alberdi