Relationships of an ex-CIA agent
In the beginning of this movie the audience is introduced to Frank (Bruce Willis). Frank is an ex-CIA agent with no close friends or family. The only close relationship he has is with Sarah (Mary-Louise Parker), his case worker. They do not live in the same city and have to resort in calling each other for communication. Leslie Nussle's Relationship in Late Life idea is important here. According to Nussle, "Although contact with friends tend to decline with age, the majority of older adults have at least one close friend." Sarah gets excited when Frank mentions that he will be in Kansas City, where she lives. They are pretty close and want to see each other.
Changes After Old Age
Frank finds his old acquaintance, Marvin (John Malkovich), to stay alive. Marvin's home consists of a small house in the country, but his actual home is underground. Sarah was warned not to mention anything about satellites or cell phones because Marvin believes that the government is watching him at all times. Marvin suspected that the CIA put himself in a mind-control program when he was in service. The audience learns his suspicion to be true when Frank tells Sarah that the CIA gave LSD to Marvin daily for eleven years. After he retired, Marvin took shelter by himself. He tends to be alone because of his mental stability/health. That is part of Leslie Nussle's Changes in Relationships theory. According to Nussle, "because of health changes, there may be a change in where elders live." In the clip shows how insane Marvin has become.
*For more information, see the "notes" page