Critical Week: Enjoy the view

London began reopening this week, and after four months of lockdown it feels like Christmas! The weather is brightening up too, although it's still chillier than it should be. Meanwhile, the movies I've been watching have been a bit further from the mainstream than previous weeks, including Ed Westwick and Louise Linton in the pitch-black rom-com Me You Madness, which is uneven but engaging. Dustin Hoffman stars in the brain-bending Italian thriller Into the Labyrinth, an over-ambitious film that looks great and has a nice Lynchian touch. And the edgy teen drama Beast Beast adopts an approach that feels fresh even as it explores familiar themes.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Gunda • True Mothers
In the Earth • The Banishing
PERHAPS AVOID:
I'm Not in Love • Sensation
ALL REVIEWS >

There were also four documentaries. Truman & Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation is like a double biopic, beautifully edited together to explore the parallel lives of two iconic writers who were close friends. Laddie: The Man Behind the Movies is a terrific trip into film history, warmly exploring the life of producer Alan Ladd Jr, who was responsible for getting a huge number of timeless classics made. And from Norway, Gunda is a wordless black-and-white look into a pig's life on a farm. It's utterly enchanting, and sharply pointed too. I also caught up with this Oscar-nominated documentary...

The Mole Agent  [El Agente Topo]

dir-scr Maite Alberdi; prd Marcela Santibanez

with Sergio Chamy, Romulo Aitken, Berta Ureta, Marta Olivares, Rubira Olivares, Petronila Abarca, Zoila Gonzalez

release Chl 21.Aug.20, US 28.Aug.20,  UK 11.Dec.20 

20/Chile 1h24 ****.

This documentary plays like a reality show, as a private investigator hires an elderly man to go undercover in a retirement home. The story unfolds with the engaging pace of a breezy adventure, as each scene is infused with witty observations. Filmmaker Maite Alberdi shoots this expertly, making it feel more like an scrappy comedy than the fly-on-the-wall doc that it actually is. But of course, there's something much more serious going on here, and Alberti's film becomes a warm exploration of age that's both entertaining and deeply moving.

After interviewing a hilarious line-up of men in their 80s and 90s, investigator Romulo hires the alert Sergio and teaches him to use spy cameras in pens and glasses and call in reports using FaceTime. His job is to make sure that the mother of Romulo's client isn't being mistreated. Once inside, Sergio settles in to his secret task, interviewing people and reporting back to Romulo. Meanwhile, sparky resident Berta befriends Sergio and makes a move. And she's not the only one. But then with 40 women and only four men, it's hardly surprising that the charming Sergio is elected king.

Alberdi hilariously plays with the format, as she drafts in a wide range of colourful characters. She even sends her film crew inside on a bogus job, so they can secretly document Sergio's mission. His reports are remarkably observant, and he even solves another mystery in the nursing home, but it's his compassion that wins us over. And his conclusion to the case is eye-opening. Alberdi's approach is so offhanded and amusing, that she catches us off-guard with the film's real agenda, exploring about how it feels to get old and live in a nursing home away from loved ones. These spirited retirees have a lot to teach us.  

PG themes • 24.Apr.21

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Even with cinemas still closed, there is no end of films to see at home, and review screeners to watch include Glenn Close in Four Good Days, Christopher Walken in Percy vs Goliath, RJ Mitte in The Oak Room, the designer doc House of Cardin, the rugby doc Steelers, the shorts collection Upon Her Lips: Pure Feels and the 15th anniversary director's cut of Another Gay Movie.