The Mole Agent – 8

This was a charming journey inside a senior citizens center in Chile, reminiscent of Laura Gabbert’s Sunset Story but with less plot. In fact, what plot there was seemed to be a set-up: I don’t believe there was a client concerned that her mother was being mistreated; I think that was a ruse to get this particular film made. Would that disqualify it as a “documentary”? Apparently not, as it is Oscar-nominated in that category. Whether he was in on the ruse or not (and I think “not”),  Sergio the Mole was such an ingenuous charmer with such a positive impact on the seniors, almost all female, that you just felt good watching the film. And the well-run center itself was the diametric opposite of what we saw in I Care A Lot. This was about as conflict-free as a film could be.